Soul Cleansing
by Serena530
Summary: Kagome is beginning to question her love for Inuyasha, and Sesshomaru comes along at the right time to help. But is that all he's offering?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer****: I do not own Inuyasha or his characters, and have no right to it except as a long time fan.**

**Soul Cleansing**

_**Chapter One: Understanding**_

Kagome started awake. She yawned and looked around groggily trying to figure out what had awakened her. Shippo was still by her side sound asleep. Sango and Miroku were also asleep. She blinked in confusion as she looked at the dying fire. Her eyes swiveled around their camp in search of the one member of their group that she hadn't seen.

_Gone. That explains the fire. But where…_ her tired thought trailed off as she felt a tug on her soul. _That explains it_. She thought as she closed her weary eyes briefly before opening them and carefully getting out of her sleeping bag so as not to disturb Shippo.

She added a few logs to the fire until it was glowing brightly once again then quietly retrieved her bow and slung her quiver of arrows across her back before walking off into the forest. She walked in the opposite direction from where the tug on her soul was coming from, which meant the opposite direction Inuyasha had gone, to a small clearing a distance from the camp but close enough to where she could still see the glow of the fire.

Kagome then sat in the grass against the trunk of a tree with a light sigh. She wanted to do some thinking and now was a good time. It was behavior like this, leaving their group unprotected and unaware that had been making her wonder more frequently why she loved Inuyasha.

There was more than that however, that made her question why she felt for him the way she did. He was always calling her worthless, weak, and stupid. Always in connection with 'human'. It was like he made it a point to emphasize her humanity like he thought it was a bad thing, conveniently forgetting that he was half human. He was always comparing her to Kikyou. Saying she was the better priestess, better trained, better at using her bow and arrows, that she never complained, she didn't whine all the time.

He had been treating her that way since the very beginning, so why in the world did she love him? He wasn't nice enough for that to be the reason. He wasn't romantic. Him saving her life wasn't reason enough for her to feel that way either. In fact, she always had the feeling that he saved her life because she was his _shard detector_ and Kikyou's reincarnation, and therefore he couldn't stand to see someone with her face die in front of him.

Kagome couldn't picture herself spending the rest of her life with him, couldn't imagine them having a family together. In fact, she couldn't even picture doing _anything_ intimate with him. They had only kissed once and that was a desperate move on her part to save his life during the Princess Kaguya ordeal. Even with the situation being what it was she had enjoyed it at the time and after they had been safe she had thought about it a great deal and wanted to do it again, but thinking back on it there had been no passion in that kiss, her heart hadn't beat wildly. In fact, she was suspicious that he had only returned the kiss because he wasn't all there and was seeing Kikyou's face and not her.

She felt like she had only wanted to do it again because logically that would be the next step after kissing someone you liked who you thought liked you back. It wasn't because she wanted to be close to him, or because she wanted to express her feelings for him, or even because she was sexually turned on by him. It was all logical despite her claims of loving him.

How could she love someone who beat a child? No matter what Shippo did or said he didn't deserve to be hit because of it. Inuyasha was always saying that he was a demon and could handle it, but that didn't mean that he should be hit. Especially when it was only because Inuyasha didn't like what he said.

She also couldn't understand why she loved someone who always kept her from her family. She was constantly arguing with him so she could go home and assure her family that she was still alive. He never seemed to think about how her time away would affect her family or if he did then he didn't care. Never mind the fact that she had shared her family with him, that her mother treated him as another son, or that her little brother adored him.

Another reason she could not understand her feelings for him was the entire situation with Kikyou. He was always leaving her and their group to go see her like he was at the moment, always leaving her unprotected when the clay woman showed up at a fight. Never batting an eyelash when the woman tried to kill her. He either didn't believe her when she told him or chose to ignore it. He had even officially chosen the dead woman over her a number of times, and she _still_ seemed to love him!

Inuyasha also didn't seem to care that in order for his precious Kikyou's body to work the woman had to have a part of her soul. It was true that she fed on the souls of dead women in order to have her strength, but in order for her body not to fall apart regardless she had to have her soul.

How could she be okay loving someone who would allow her to walk around for almost two years with a piece of her soul missing? It was like missing a body part. She had heard that people who were missing a limb felt phantom pain or sensations from the body part that was no longer there. The same was true for her in a way, only worse because she still had a connection to the 'body part'.

The fact that she herself seemed to be okay with not having that piece of her soul disturbed her, as well as why she seemed to forgive the fact that it didn't bother him.

Forgiving him all the time was another issue she had. She was always making excuses for him, and forgiving him regardless of what he had done or that he hadn't said he was sorry. She forgave him for going to Kikyou all the time, for always comparing her to the dead woman, for being rude to her, for pretty much tearing down her self-esteem, for beating on Shippo, for keeping her from her family. The list went on and on. A person could only forgive so much and she had gone beyond her limit long ago. She just couldn't seem to stop herself.

Kagome was also becoming disturbed by the fact that she was always defending Inuyasha, and that the self-preservation switch in her mind seemed to turn off whenever she did. It didn't matter if she was defending him verbally or physically, or if the person was human or demon, or could kill her within the blink of an eye.

She was all for defending her friends and would risk her life, but the situation didn't seem to matter. It was like a compulsion. It didn't matter if she knew that he would only be slightly injured, if at that, where as she would be killed. She would still open her mouth or step in front of the blow. Even small matters such as the repeat performance with Kouga. She was always quick to step in and defend Inuyasha from the wolf prince even when Kouga was right about him not treating her right. It was ridiculous!

Kagome sighed in frustration as she stared at the distant glow of the camp fire. Suddenly she saw a white glow in the corner of her eye. She looked over to see none other than Sesshomaru.

"Good even Lord Sesshomaru." She greeted him politely from her seat on the ground and marveled that she could see him so clearly. It was as if all the white silk and his pale complexion made him glow in the dark.

"Miko." His quiet baritone voice drifted to her before he glanced in the direction if her camp fire. "Why are you not at your camp?" He questioned curiously.

"I wanted to do some thinking but my powers tend to broadcast my emotions when I do, and I didn't want to disturb my friends sleep." She answered quietly as she eyed the fur draped over his right shoulder.

"Thinking." Sesshomaru said as he gazed down at her. "Tell me miko, what you could be thinking about so late at night to have your emotions in such an uproar to threaten your companions rest." He stated quietly from where he stood.

"My feelings for Inuyasha." Kagome said truthfully. "And how I can't understand why I love him with the way he treats me. I can't even understand why I consider him my best friend."

"Explain." He said briskly, his golden eyes trained on her. She didn't mind his manner. She wanted his opinion on her situation since he was there and willing to listen. He may not like the topic but he had to have realized that he might hear something he didn't care for.

So Kagome began to explain in detail all that she had just thought through, being sure to give examples to make everything as clear as possible.

"I just can't comprehend why I love him when clearly my heart isn't in it." She finished in confusion.

The clearing was quiet as the two occupants lost themselves in their thoughts. After a time the demon lord voiced a portion of his thoughts.

"Perhaps it is your soul that feels for the half-breed." Sesshomaru stated.

Kagome frowned as she considered his words and blanched once she realized what he meant.

"Do you mean to tell me that the person who could make me happy and who I could make happy is out there alone because my soul is attached to Inuyasha?!" She said agitatedly and looked down so he couldn't see the pain in her eyes. This was a completely different situation from being soul-mates as far as she was concerned. If that had been the case she wouldn't be taking issue with it right now.

She was sad and horrified by that prospect and could already feel the depression creeping up on her, but the next thing she knew Sesshomaru was kneeling in front of her lifting her chin up with a delicate clawed hand.

"You are better than this miko. Better than someone who would sink into depression and give up without trying to find a solution." He said calmly, his voice rumbling in her ears.

Kagome was surprised by Sesshomaru's actions and words and even more so at her reaction to his touch and proximity. She shivered and her heart beat so hard that it affected her breathing. Still, she took in his words despite the distraction and thought he was right. It wasn't like her to give up so easily.

"You're right." She said, shivering once again as his fingers slid from her skin. As she thought about his proposed cause for her problem she idly noticed that he had sat down a few feet in front of her.

"I think Kikyou might be responsible for this problem. I mean it couldn't have been anything that happened to me during my time here because I had been drawn to him since the moment I saw him pinned to the tree, and I had even forgiven him quickly for trying to kill me and calling me all kinds of names." She explained.

"I think she made a wish on the shikon jewel before she died. Something along the lines of wishing to be with Inuyasha in her next life." Kagome theorized. "It would explain why I love him when he's done nothing to encourage it, why I forgive him anything, why I make excuses for him and defend him regardless of the danger to my life or the mundaneness of the situation."

"It would also explain why I'm okay with Kikyou having a piece of my soul. Being brought back to life in a clay body is her 'next life' as well, so that would also be fulfilling the terms of the wish." She added.

Kagome sat quietly after that and wondered if she was going to be stuck compulsively loving Inuyasha for the rest of her life and never be happy. He had already shown on multiple occasions that he didn't care about her feelings, and would do what he wanted no matter if it hurt other people's feelings.

_No._ She thought quietly. She decided right then and there that she would fight it. She would do all she could to free her soul so she could love someone freely with both her heart and soul. Especially since she knew that in this time where demons and magic existed openly, having a free and untainted soul could be important when it came to finding someone to love.

"Do you have any idea how I can free my soul?" She asked with a hopeful look and watched as he blinked slowly and looked up to the sky. She said nothing of the action that looked like a dismissal. She simply waited patiently for his answer, having developed a great deal of patients over the years when it came to dealing with Inuyasha and his temper.

"You would need to purge your soul." He said in his quiet tone as his gaze flicked back to her.

"How am I supposed to do that?" She wondered with a frown. His silence was enough to tell her that he didn't know. Although, she had no idea how she was able to tell the difference between this silence and the previous one. "Hmmm…I could ask Keade, the old priestess that lives in the village in Edo who is also Kikyou's sister, as well as my grandfather." She said thoughtfully and then frowned as a disturbing thought came to her.

"Do you think it's possible to purge my soul if it's not complete?" She asked a little frantically.

Sesshomaru blinked slowly. He recalled her mentioning the dead priestess having a piece of her soul but he needed to be sure.

"The dead one has a piece of your soul?" He asked and watched her nod her head in affirmation. "How exactly did that happen?" He questioned with a slight, barely there frown on his face.

He listened as she related the theft of the priestess' grave, the witch Urasue, her kidnapping, the half-breed seeing Kikyou and calling out her name, the miko's soul being ripped from her body, and somehow being able to call most of it back to her. He listened to her explanation not liking it at all. Each fact that fell from her lips made him more and more angry with the half demon he was unfortunately related to.

"It is dangerous to live without your complete soul." He said bluntly when she finished. "Souls are not meant to be shared, and it is surprising that you have not already started to experience problems because of it." He explained. "The soul houses a beings power as well as the essence of who they are in life. Part of your problem in controlling your powers could be because you do not have all of your soul, and while I do not know if it is possible to purge only the part of your soul that you have access to, I believe that you will need all of it to accomplish the task." He added.

Kagome nodded at his words as she released a slight sigh. She was a bit surprised at how much he had just spoken, but she guessed the topic was important enough to warrant the length.

_How am I going to get the rest of my soul? I don't know how, and part of me is always defending Inuyasha, which means that I can't do something that would hurt him. Killing Kikyou would mean exactly that because taking back my soul would do that._ She thought with a disgruntled frown before pushing the thought to the back of her mind to dwell on another time.

"Thank you for sitting with me Sesshomaru, and hearing me out and offering your knowledge to assist me. I really appreciate it." She said with a smile. "I'm going to start watching what goes on around me and see how I react to situations involving Inuyasha now that I'm officially aware of what's happening. I'm also going to try and get some proof to confirm that I'm compelled to act a certain way around him." She finished.

Sesshomaru nodded slightly and she sensed approval at such an action on her part.

"I have masked my scent and aura so the half-breed will not smell me in the area or on you. Neither will he sense my power in the area." He courteously explained so that she would not have to worry about the half demon making things difficult for her as it was clear from her earlier explanation such difficulties were common without outside factors interfering.

Kagome nodded in appreciation. "Even if he did he would have no one to blame but himself for not being here to keep watch like he was supposed to. That's what happens when you shirk your responsibilities to do things with dead bodies!" She said with a huff and watched as a small smirk graced his perfect lips. Her heart pounded hard one time in response and she idly wondered what he thought of her body's response.

Together they stood and she picked up her bow while he casually smoothed down the fur on his shoulder.

"Goodnight and again thank you." She said and watched him bow his head ever so slightly before she smiled and began to walk back to her camp.

Once there Kagome placed her bow and quiver of arrows near her sleeping bag and slipped into it, careful of her sleeping kit. It was not long before she fell asleep, for some reason feeling safe with the demon lord in the area.

**~o~o~o~o~**

Sesshomaru moved at an easy pace as he made his way back toward his little camp. He had been once again securing the area for the night so his ward would be safe and sleep uninterrupted when he had come across the miko's scent. It was his ever present curiosity that made him stop and go speak to her and offer to listen to her thoughts.

He was glad she was questioning her feelings for the half-breed and trying to comprehend them. He was even gladder that she apparently did not actually love the whelp, and any feelings of a strong friendship were fading fast with his treatment of her.

Even he with his taciturn, antisocial behavior, knew what a best friend was. It was someone who you could count on in your time of need, someone you could talk to about anything, trust your secrets to, someone who would defend you, someone you had no problems being around. All of these were reasons why he didn't have a best friend. He knew no one in his life whom he could trust so completely.

Knowing these things he had, from the beginning of knowing of her existence and that she traveled with the half-breed, wondered why she traveled with the half demon. Even then he had seen that the whelp wasn't treating her right as a friend and it hadn't improved over time.

As her feelings seemingly began to turn toward the romantic Sesshomaru had even more so wondered why she had those feelings. She was right when she said that the half-breed had done nothing to encourage those feelings. He was rude and crude, and wouldn't have even known how to encourage love from someone.

He couldn't even blame it on not being taught how because as far as he was concerned it was common sense. The half-breed knew what it was like to be treated poorly, so common sense would tell him to do the opposite with friends and especially any females who interested him.

But then that fact right there may be the point. He had no problem treating the dead priestess properly, so it was obvious that he held no romantic or intimate feelings for the young miko. Either that or he was confusing which one of them to display his feelings to. Perhaps there would have been no problems if the dead priestess had stayed dead. No. The half-breed would have still treated the miko the same way, and she would have still questioned her feelings for him. Especially when he compared her to the dead woman even if she was still in her grave.

Still, he was glad that she was finally questioning her feelings and the whelp's behavior as he had been doing for so long. Sesshomaru wasn't one to lie to himself or hide from the truth, and realized that sometime during his mental questioning over the years he had begun to develop feelings for the girl. He had of course tried to deny it, especially when it became clear that she was developing feelings for the half-breed.

He came up with numerous excuses for why he could not mate her, but that was when he didn't know her. Even now he knew that he didn't really know her well, but he knew enough to know that he liked her personality. He knew that she would be extremely loyal, that she was educated, that she had good mothering instincts, that she was strong even though he now knew that she didn't have access to all her power.

She was not a timid weak female who was use to people waiting on her and getting everything she wanted like Inuyasha's mother, Izayoi, had been. She was not afraid to fight for those important to her, she simply needed to be taught how.

The one thing that really drew him to her was the fact that she was not afraid to stand up to him. She might be afraid of what he could do to her, but she did not fear standing before him, looking into his eyes, speaking her mind. He also knew that if he allowed it she would not be afraid to touch him. No female, including his own mother, was capable of any of those things.

The fact that she did not fear his touch was very promising, and the reaction she did have was very telling. He had heard her heart beating hard, so much so that it caused a hitch in her breathing. He had also been very aware of the shivers that ran along her body.

He would have her. She would be his. It appeared that her heart was already aware of him. Now he just had to show his interest and her mind would follow, then he would help her free her soul so that she would be free to be his completely.

In the meantime he would court her. She deserved that and it would allow the both of them to get to know each other better. He was aware that he would have to reassure her of many things. Starting with the notion of his hatred for humans. He didn't know why everyone thought he hated them. The only human he had ever hated was Inuyasha's mother and he had good reason to as far as he was concerned.

She was a home wrecker plain and simple. She knew his father was mated, _married_ in the demon sense and she, a princess, was still willing to give herself to him and have an affair with him. It was a slap in the face to his mother- an insult, especially when the female turned up pregnant. It dishonored and disrespected his mother, and he had watched the human female long enough to know that she had felt no guilt about it.

The female had not even seemed to care that her affair with his father had caused the older Inu to have to fight challenges on her behalf because she was powerless and too weak to fight them herself. She didn't care that fighting challenge after challenge left him weaker each time and that it would end up being his death. She was a selfish creature. She only cared that he was only with her, taking care of her, and giving her anything she wanted.

So no, she was the only human he hated, the rest he ignored and stayed away from. They smelled bad and had no honor. To the point where they were willing to sell their own offspring to the highest bidder if it got them more money or more land or to pay off their debt so they wouldn't have to.

The majority of them were also hypocrites. They claimed that demons were always attacking them and scaring their children, but when the tables were turned they were quick to take the opportunity to attack demons. They didn't care that low level demons were different then high level demons or that a demon child was different than an adult. He had personally witnessed a group of human males recently attacking a demon child. The child hadn't done anything, had only looked to be hunting, when they noticed his pointed ears and green hair. He had quickly put a stop to that.

Sesshomaru would also have to set her straight on how he felt about half demons. He didn't hate them as many assumed. He only hated Inuyasha and as far as he was concerned he had good reason for that as well. He was a selfish, self-centered bastard and had been since he was a child. Courtesy of his mother. She had coddled him- given him anything and everything he wanted, and rewarded bad behavior with gifts as she made excuses for it. He supposed that she might have been trying to offset the poor behavior of the humans around him with gifts, but it had only made him think he could act anyway he wanted with no consequences. And it was likely _that_ wasn't even the case. It was most likely as simple as she got everything she wanted and felt her son should get the same.

She was selfish in keeping him to herself and had done her son no favors by not allowing him to see the child. Even with the boy being as bad as his spies reported, he had been willing to teach the pup the ways of his ancestors so he would know how to behave as an Inu and understand what his instincts were telling him.

By the time of her death Inuyasha didn't trust him or anyone else, so he watched from a distance as his behavior got worse. When he did manage to make friends it was only a matter of time before they realized they were being used. It was always kind humans that he worked on since other humans were suspicious or scared, and demons- depending on the species- would have either smelled or sensed the deception coming from him.

As of now he knew that the half-breeds new group of friends trusted him and he trusted them, but he also knew that he lied to them and was using them. He had lied to them about never having friends and was using them because he knew that he needed them to defeat Naraku. They too had their reasons for hunting the arachnid but they most likely had no idea what would happen to their group once the deed was done. That is if they didn't die in the process.

As for the little miko, she was being lied to and used on multiple levels. She was the one who had been told that the whelp had never had friends and had grown up alone, he was using her to spread his sorry story and to find shards of the jewel that he coveted, and he was using her affection for him to keep her where she was. It was possible that he may be confused about who to show his feelings to, but he knew that the miko liked him and he would not commit to her or release her so that she could move on to someone else. He showed her just enough to give her hope but not enough to be secure of his affections.

Sesshomaru was sure the half-breed used the situation to boost his ego. He had two women who wanted him. The 'original' and the reincarnation. They both loved him even though for one of them she was dead and it was a love-hate feeling on her side. It also had to help that currently the little miko forgave him everything like his mother had done. He most likely thought he could be his real self- lie, manipulate, use, and treat her anyway he wanted- and she would be fine with it. She would still love him and stay with him.

Not if he had anything to say about it. The little miko, _Kagome_- he allowed himself to say in his mind, would not be around the half-breeds pack for long. Now that she was questioning her feelings for the boy and consequently her loyalty to him, it was the best time to get her away from him. He only had to be patient and wait for the perfect opportunity.

He did not trust the half-breed. And now that he knew that she did not really love the boy and that he was now determined to make her his, he would not leave her safety to the whims of the boy. Even now he was off trysting with the dead priestess and leaving his pack unprotected. Not that it mattered at this point. He would keep her safe since he was in the area.

He also did not trust the monk and slayer. If he, with distance and hardly knowing the miko, could see that the half-breed was treating her wrongly, could detect irregularities and question her affections for the half-breed, then certainly those two humans closest to her could do more than that.

And why hadn't they, after two years, taught her how to protect herself? The slayer could have taught her how to fight and even use a sword but had not, and the monk could have taught her how to access her powers at will and detect other things involving spiritual powers but he too had not. Why?

Did they think she would not want to learn? He thought that was ridiculous. She was always trying to protect someone. He would think that she would jump on the chance to insure her survival when she did so. Did they think she would not want to put in the time or effort? Did they think she was too weak to learn? Did it simply not occur to them to try or even ask?

Regardless of the reason, they should have taught her by now and he did not like that they had not.

With those unsettled thoughts Sesshomaru decided, as he neared his camp, that he would check on his little miko the next day, in the morning, and see how she was coping with the night's revelations.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer****: I do not own Inuyasha or his characters, and have no right to it except as a long time fan.**

**Soul Cleansing**

_**Chapter Two: Leaving**_

Kagome jerked awake suddenly as she was nudged in the back with a foot, Inuyasha's voice yelling at her to get up and stop being lazy. She groaned and hugged Shippo to her as she opened her eyes. She hadn't forgotten her understanding of the night before or her talk with Sesshomaru, and this wakeup call was proof against why she shouldn't love Inuyasha. Who would love someone who was inconsiderate enough not to treat them like a person and wake them with a shake of their hand instead of nudging them with their foot like they were an animal?

"I'm awake." She said with a sigh before looking down as Shippo yawned. She decided in that moment to tell her kit her situation. "Will you come with me this morning? I need to talk to you." She whispered for his ears alone.

Shippo nodded, easily agreeing, sensing that she had something serious to say to him.

That being done Kagome began to gather her things together for her morning ritual. Once she had everything they headed to the nearby hot spring.

They settled down and Kagome began to tell Shippo about her thoughts from the night as well as her conversation with the Inu demon lord. Unlike the others in their group she knew that even though he was a child his youkai heritage allowed him a higher level of maturity. She knew that he could understand situations that a human child would not, and so she talked to him like an adult as she confided her situation to him.

Shippo was very surprised that his mother figure had been talking to Lord Sesshomaru and Inuyasha didn't know and said as much to her.

"He wasn't there when I woke up and judging by how low the fire was he hadn't been there in some time. Besides, Sesshomaru said that he had masked his presence." Kagome explained as she got dressed in a pair of blue jeans, a t-shirt, and a hooded gray pullover sweater.

She was very much done traipsing all over feudal Japan in her school uniform. She knew that anything she wore would make her stand out, but her uniform had made it ten times worse. She wasn't oblivious to the looks she got or deaf to the comments made about her. She didn't enjoy being called a loose woman or a whore, but Inuyasha had seemed to like it after a while and she had wanted to look good for him.

No more. She was done trying to please him even though a part of her still wanted to. She knew that if she covered up she would be seen as respectable as well as have less scars. She would have to make due with her modern clothes since she didn't have money in this time. She was sure she could find some miko garb to wear but she didn't want to. She didn't want to look like Kikyou any more than she already did. Even a different color wouldn't satisfy her.

"Shippo I need you to do me a favor. Will you stop me when it seems like I'm trying to defend Inuyasha when there is no need for me to?" Kagome asked and he instantly agreed to do so.

Now that her situation had been explained to her kit Kagome finished getting ready then they headed back to camp where she promptly refused to cook breakfast for the shard hunting group. Instead she placed cups of instant ramen out and stated that they could eat those if they didn't want to cook for themselves because she wasn't hungry and didn't feel like cooking.

Kagome decided to use the opportunity to see how they would react. She had been making breakfast, as well as lunch and dinner, for them for the last two years and never once did any of them offer to make it. They would help from time to time, little things at that, but that was as far as they were seemingly willing to go.

So she calmly sat down against a tree with her quiver of arrows on her back and her bow next to her with her backpack while Shippo sat in her lap, taking his duty to keep her from defending Inuyasha seriously. He quietly assured her that he was not hungry yet especially since he felt there was more to her refusal to prepare breakfast.

Sango and Miroku gave her odd looks but shrugged their shoulders and began heating water. Inuyasha on the other hand complained- loudly. He yelled that she was being lazy and ungrateful and that the least she could do for all the times he saved her life was make him breakfast.

Kagome ignored him but was sure to take in everyone's response. Inuyasha's was straight forward. He felt he was entitled to her cooking for him simply because he protected her. He treated it like payment for his services. There was no sign of affection. No sign that he enjoyed her cooking, nor that he appreciated that she did so for him. And it pained her that even with this show of how he felt she still felt love for him. Part of her mind easily came up with an excuse for his temper. He hadn't gotten enough sleep or perhaps he enjoyed her cooking that much. While the other part of her mind cringed in shame that she felt affection for someone who would speak to her in such a demeaning way.

Sango and Miroku's response was a bit harder to gage. Did the fact that they didn't complain and were going to eat the ramen mean that they simply wanted to leave sooner or did it mean that they were lazy and didn't want to make themselves anything to eat? She couldn't tell which it was and she didn't like that. Did her two human friends feel as Inuyasha did? Is that why they never cooked? Did they too feel they shouldn't have to with all the fighting and protecting they did?

Kagome was saved from further speculation by the feel of a tingling tugging feeling in her stomach. She frowned as she concentrated on it, never having felt such a thing before. If she had to describe the impression she got from it she would say that it felt like someone was calling her, and just like that she abruptly realized that that was exactly what was happening. She also became aware of who was calling her as the feeling she was getting from the tugging sensation was familiar.

She stood up picking up her bow as Shippo migrated to her shoulder at the movement and announced that she and Shippo were going for a short walk. She calmly walked off, ignoring Inuyasha's threats to not take long or he was coming after her, and allowed the call to guide her. It wasn't long before she spotted the demon lord and the reason her little kit was trembling on her shoulder. She was proud that even though he was scared he didn't try to hide.

"Good morning my Lord." She greeted politely as she came to a stop in front of him. Her heart greeted him in its own way by pounding hard against her chest a few times, upsetting her breathing and bringing a light blush to her face at the knowledge that the demon lord wouldn't have missed her reaction to his presence.

Sesshomaru nodded slightly in reply to her but she didn't mind. She understood that he wasn't much of a talker and that nodding was his way of greeting her. She knew enough about him to know that if he felt someone wasn't worth his time he simply wouldn't look at them or acknowledge that they had spoken.

"So this morning I was awakened by a foot to my back." Kagome began conversationally, deciding to give him a sort of progress report on her attempt to gain the proof she had mentioned the night before. She knew that if he didn't want to hear it he would let her know quickly and bluntly.

"I'm sure you know who was responsible. I've informed Shippo here of my thoughts and our conversation last night, and I've asked him to stop me from needlessly jumping to Inuyasha's defense. That should keep me a bit safer and allow me to see how the group reacts when they see me standing idly by and not defending him." She continued softly, her eyes idly tracing the navy blue crescent moon on his brow.

"After that I refused to make breakfast and Inuyasha complained of course. Did you know cooking for him was the least I could do for all the times he saved my life?" She asked sarcastically. "Sango and Miroku gave me odd looks but I couldn't tell if they had a problem with it or not." She finished as she gazed into his golden eyes.

"Hn." Was the only reply Sesshomaru gave to let them know he had been listening to her.

"Is it possible for someone as young as Shippo to learn how to hide his scent and aura?" Kagome asked after a few moments of silence.

"It is possible for anyone of power to do so. Age is only a factor in determining if they have the needed discipline to master the skill." Sesshomaru said, his quiet baritone voice rumbling lightly in her ears causing her to shiver slightly.

"Well if it's not too much trouble could you teach us?" She asked. "If I end up leaving the group I don't want Inuyasha to find us." She explained to his lifted eyebrow.

Kagome watched as his eyes flicked from her to Shippo and back again. She was surprised at herself for asking him such a thing, but she couldn't help it. She had no one else to ask and he seemed more approachable to her after their night time conversation. She hoped he would agree even though she had no idea how or when such lessons would take place.

"I will instruct the both of you." The demon lord decided. "Come. The half-breed is wondering what is taking you so long." He said as he began to lead them back in the direction they came from.

Halfway back their escort came to a halt and ushered them to go on, stating that if he went any further Inuyasha would see him. Kagome smiled and thanked him and watched for a moment as he began to walk away before turning back to their path. Shippo whispered to her that they wouldn't have to worry about Inuyasha knowing who they had been with because he hadn't been able to sense or smell the Inu lord even being right in front of him.

As she took in Shippo's words she thought of something that had most likely escaped him. Sesshomaru had called her to him but he didn't have anything to say. She had done all the talking but he had clearly been listening to her. What did that mean? She was hesitant to think that he had only wanted to see her and nothing more. How could she not be? He was the human hating demon lord of the west. To think he had only wanted to see her, perhaps hear her voice, was presumptuous in the extreme.

But what else could it have been? He couldn't have simply wanted to greet her because he was in the area. And what about his decision to help her and Shippo learn to hide themselves? He had to have a reason for agreeing to do such a thing. She didn't think it was just out of the kindness of his heart. She didn't know him very well but she knew he wouldn't do something like that for someone he barely knew.

They arrived back at camp just as the last of the groups belongings were packed, and soon they were leaving with Inuyasha rushing them as usual. Kagome didn't complain but all the same she didn't understand it. She didn't sense any jewel shards and as far as she knew they didn't have a destination in mind, so why were they rushing? What good would it do them? What if they came across a shard-enhanced demon and they were too tired to fight it properly? Nothing but injuries and possibly loss of life could result from it. How could he be so reckless?

A few hours later found the shard hunting group resting in a small clearing not far from the road they had been traveling on. Kagome stood stretching her legs trying to prevent the cramp that was trying to seize one of her legs as Shippo rested on her left shoulder. He had told her that as long as Inuyasha was around he was sticking close to her, and sitting on her shoulder was as close as he could get.

Suddenly Kagome's head snapped up as she sensed a pair of jewel shards. They were approaching their location fast and that told her exactly who was coming, but before she could open her mouth to give a warning a small twister sped into their camp kicking up dirt and dust.

Kagome closed her eyes to prevent dirt from blinding her but they quickly snapped back open at the feel of rough clawed hands gripping her own. There in front of her in her personal space stood the wolf prince Kouga. He immediately began to spout his usual 'how's my woman?' comment, and she did her best to greet him politely while trying to extract her hands.

Things quickly went downhill from there as Inuyasha began to yell and pull Kouga away from her. It was no surprise to anyone when a fight broke out between the loud pair. One arguing that Kagome was his while the other defended that she belonged to him.

Kagome was concerned. She didn't think Kouga would hurt Inuyasha but she was still worried for him. She didn't want him to be hurt in any way. She needed to stop them before any violence happened. She took a step forward to rush to them only to be frozen at her little kits words.

"No! There's no reason to defend him. He's not going to be killed." Shippo whispered in her ear not at all surprised that he would have to stop her in this situation.

"Thanks Shippo." Kagome said as she moved to stand near a tree and watched the scene play out, disturbed that everything but protecting Inuyasha had flown from her mind. She hadn't remembered her thoughts from the night before, hadn't remembered her conversation with Sesshomaru, and hadn't even remembered that Shippo was to stop her from rushing off to needlessly defend Inuyasha. All she had thought about was defending Inuyasha and making sure no harm came to him. Now that she thought about it that happened all the other times as well. She had simply thought that she had been so worried for him that nothing else mattered.

Turns out that wasn't the case, and she did not like that one bit.

As she watched her supposed two friends fighting over her she couldn't understand it. She couldn't understand why Inuyasha cared if Kouga wanted her since it seemed he didn't want her himself. He was being extremely possessive and that was not good. It showed that he was controlling and she already knew he had a temper, both of which could lead to domestic violence.

How had she not seen this before? Why was he being so possessive of her anyway? Was this apart of being a half dog demon or was this just his personality? Part of her liked it and thought it showed how much he cared, that he didn't want to lose her, but the other part of her was seriously concerned and saw it as dangerous behavior.

"What the fuck wench?!" Inuyasha said loudly once Kouga had taken his leave as he walked toward Kagome.

Kagome narrowed her eyes, bristling at the way he spoke to her. She was very tired of listening to his coarse language and irritated that a part of her simply thought it was because he had not learned to speak any other way growing up.

"Why didn't ya tell'm to back the fuck off?! Do you actually want that shithead? Is that why you never push him away?" Inuyasha asked angrily as he stood in front of her.

"Inuyasha, I'm only being nice to him like I am with everyone else." Kagome said with a sigh. "Just like I always am with you." She pointed out reasonably but she noticed his expression darkening as his anger apparently grew. "Do you want me to stop being polite to people, to stop being nice to everyone, including you?" She asked sarcastically.

It happened so fast she had no time to avoid it. The only warning she got was the feel of Shippo's little claws digging into her skin through her sweater and shirt and his sharp inhalation.

Inuyasha's heavy clawed hand connected hard with the side of her face leaving claw marks on her left cheek. The force of the slap was such that she was forced to turn her entire body in fear that if she didn't her neck would snap!

Kagome stood in shock, her body half turned, her head facing away from everyone as she stared blankly at a bush. That had come out of nowhere. She had never been hit by someone she cared about, and who cared about her in return.

She slowly turned back to look at Inuyasha through her blank eyes and saw him staring at his hand in horror, but she knew that it was not because he had hit her rather because his claws had wounded her. Her eyes shifted to her other companions. As shocked as she was it was still not lost on her that Miroku and Sango had done nothing. They looked surprised and shocked, but they were not yelling at Inuyasha for his actions. She understood that men hitting women was common in that time, at least among humans as far as she knew, but they had to remember that she wasn't from their time and would not put up with it.

"Shippo, is there a source of water nearby?" Kagome asked quietly.

"Yes." The little kit answered just as quietly and pointed the way.

Kagome nodded slightly and began to walk in the direction he indicated, well aware that they were not being followed by the rest of the group.

When they reached what she realized was a stream she knelt in the grass, allowing Shippo to hop off her shoulder as she slipped her backpack off. She placed her bow on the grass next to her and moved to look into the water. Her reflection stared back at her and she clearly saw bleeding claw marks. She grimaced at the sting they produced from her facial expressions.

_He didn't mean it. He was just frustrated because I never tell Kouga to stop touching my hands and calling me his woman. It's jealousy. He doesn't like other guys giving me attention. It's like when he hits Shippo. He's just showing his affection the only way he knows how._ She thought quietly as she gazed at the marks.

_No! No it's not right!_ The thought floated through her mind urgently following the last. _That is not how you show affection. It's dangerous!_

"This is proof." Kagome stated to Shippo quietly. "This shows that I'm right about my theory of why I love Inuyasha regardless of what he puts me through."

"I don't understand." Shippo said with a confused frown as he looked up at her.

"Even now Shippo, even after what he did, at this moment a part of my mind is making up excuses for why he hit me and wanting to forgive him for it." She explained.

Shippo looked at her in horror. He could not believe that she was thinking of forgiving Inuyasha for hitting her for no reason, and when the idiot most likely had not even wasted a thought on apologizing.

_Probably thinking that he didn't have to since he was so used to Kagome forgiving him no matter what he did._ He thought as he began to understand more of the situation she had explained to him.

Kagome nodded sadly at his horrified look and moved to dig out her first aid kit. She took out a cloth and settled back next to the stream. She dipped it into the cool water and began to try and clean her wound. As she cautiously dabbed at it she heard Shippo gasp. She looked away from her reflection to see him staring across the stream, and following his gaze she found herself admiring the regal figure of Sesshomaru as he stood there staring at her.

**~o~o~o~o~**

On his way back to his camp Sesshomaru thought about his encounter with his little miko and her kit and the information she had left him with. He was pleased that she had done as she said she would and was already starting to look for proof to prove her compulsion to regard the half-breed with affection no matter what he did as well as acting a certain way around him, and that she was taking steps to try and curtail any unusual behavior that would put her in danger.

He wanted to say he couldn't believe the whelp's behavior but that would be a lie. As uncouth as the half-breed was he did not expect anything less. Still…he himself would never behave in such a manner. Even if he did not like the being traveling with him. It showed a marked lack of breeding to display ones emotions in such a way. Of course with the whelp it could simply be a display of laziness. Perhaps he simply had not wished to take the extra effort to bend over or kneel down and give her a shake. If that was the case then it only made his actions worse. If the half-breed was that lazy he could have asked one of his human pack mates to wake the miko.

Sesshomaru was not surprised that Kagome had told the kit what she knew of her situation. Not if the kit was anything like his Rin, mature for his age. He was the only being in that pack whom she could trust to stop her from putting herself in danger needlessly for the half-breed. He would easily be able to pick up on behavior that would lead her to reckless actions. He also understood that the kit would need to know what was happening for another reason. He was her child after all and when she left the half-breeds pack he would be going with her, and it would be easier if he understood the reason why.

Moving on from there he considered the results of her refusal to cook for the pack. Normally the alpha female would cook and her pack mates would assist. It seemed that in the half-breeds pack Kagome was not getting any help or respect. They expected her to cook no matter the situation or how she was feeling. All because either they were used to it or expected it as payment for protection.

Sesshomaru sighed internally. His half-brother was a sorry excuse for an alpha, and in fact didn't even deserve to have a pack with how he treated them. It was an alphas duty to protect and care for every member of their pack without complaint. Then there was his human pack mates. They were supposed to be helpful in all situations not just the ones they choose.

_It is surprising that she asked me for lessons in concealment._ He considered as he came ever closer to his camp. _I would have thought she would have thought I would not do such. Perhaps after our talk last night she felt comfortable trying._

Regardless of why she felt she could he was pleased that she had. It was something both she and the kit needed to learn and it would give them time together so he could begin to court her. As for the kit, their earlier meeting and the fact that he did not immediately run from his presence even with the miko there and with what she had already told him bode well since they would have to spend time together for the lessons. Another reason it was a good thing was because they would eventually be joining his pack and he would not have the kit afraid of him, especially since he planned to take the miko as his mate, which would make the kit his child.

With that in mind now was the time to start making plans. He needed to consider how and when he would train them to hide their aura and scent as well as if there were any alternatives for them to employ until they mastered the ability. The how was easy enough for him. However, the when was another matter entirely. He would have to find a way to get her as well as the kit away from their pack long enough for their lessons without causing his little miko problems and not letting Inuyasha find out.

For now he would put the matter aside. He would think of a solution or one would reveal itself in time. Now he would begin to consider all that he would teach his future mate. She would need lessons in many things. He needed to first and foremost help her learn how to use her spiritual powers as best he could, teach her how to fight using her hands and feet, and how to use a weapon besides her bow and arrows. He was naturally disposed to using swords but he knew that not everyone was comfortable with one and he thought his miko might not be. Still, he would not rule it out without speaking to her.

Sesshomaru arrived back at his camp just as Rin was finishing her breakfast, and was welcomed with her cheerful greeting and Jaken's annoying screeching which he quickly silenced with a look. Once Jaken had packed up what was left out in the saddle bags on Ah-Un they began walking, leisurely following the half-breeds pack, not that his own pack knew that. They followed where he led and that was that.

The taciturn demon lord detoured slightly from his path after a few hours so that they would pass a couple of berry bushes and Rin could partake in those as they walked so they would not have to stop. She did so and he noticed with amusement that the berries stained her tongue and lips a red that resembled blood.

As they reached a clearing filled with wild flowers, much to Rin's great joy, Sesshomaru delicately sniffed the air, and halted his steps at the scent of his little miko's blood. His golden eyes narrowed, he smelt no one outside of their pack except the young wolf prince, and his sense of smell was so great that he could tell that the wolfs scent was already in the beginning stages of fading. The scent of her blood was small but fresh to the point where it hadn't begun to enter the stages of fading, which told him that only members of the pack were there when the blood was spilt.

He told his pack that they would be stopping for a break, and then he calmly continued walking pass the tree line. When he was far enough that they could not see him he took off at a run. The fact that he could smell her blood at a distance worried him, even if it was a small wound. He needed to see her for himself to know that she was fine. Because he did not like the thoughts that were creeping into his mind.

Sesshomaru sniffed the air again as he ran, filtering the scents, and smelled fresh water along with his miko and the kit she had taken in. He slowed to a walk as he neared the source of water and soon his gold eyes were lighting on his female as he broke through the trees on the other side of the stream.

His beast nearly broke through his control at the sight of bleeding claw marks on her face. From the lingering scent mixed with her blood both he and his beast knew that the half-breed was responsible.

The demon lord's eyes narrowed as his beast called for him to finally put an end to the half-breed and his dishonorable behavior. To gut him and scatter his entrails across the western lands as a warning to others.

He ignored his beast as he gazed at the woman he hoped would soon he his mate, but he knew that his beast had a point. It was beyond the pale to strike a female, a human female at that, unless they were attacking you with deadly intent.

He would have to do something about the half-breed.

**~o~o~o~o~**

Kagome watched the demon lord leap gracefully over the water and kneel in front of her as she turned in his direction.

Sesshomaru brought up a hand and gently lifted her face to better see her wounds.

"Hn, explain." His quiet voice rumbled out his demand.

Kagome took a breath and explained the encounter with Kouga as well as what happened afterward, and when she got to the part about her neck she watched his eyes narrow and felt his hand move to gently feel her throat. However, even gentle movements were painful and she tried to flinch away as she unconsciously whimpered.

"I need to see if there is any damage done that we cannot see." He explained as his beast raged at their female being forced to make such a sound, and watched as she stiffened her back and held still as best she could.

"The muscles are likely bruised and if that is the case your pain will become worse as time passes." He informed her when he finished his examination.

Sesshomaru then surprised her by taking hold of her chin, leaning forward, and licking her wounds. Saying she was shocked would be an understatement, but no matter how shocked and surprised she was she didn't pull away. The stinging pain began to fade and she was able to fully focus on the feel of his hot tongue on her skin. It was incredible. She definitely liked it and her body responded, letting her and the demon lord in front of her know so there were no doubts.

Kagome blushed as she remembered that he could probably smell how much she liked it. Even so, she forced herself to look him in the eye when he was done. It wasn't as if she could help how her body responded.

She saw his nostrils flare followed by a glint in his eyes and she blushed even more before focusing back on her wound or at least what had been her wound.

"The pain is completely gone!" She exclaimed and was surprised when she felt her cheek and realized the claw marks were gone.

"My saliva has healing propertied." Sesshomaru informed her as he watched her touching her face. "Will you return to the half-breed?" He questioned as he took in her scent, hoping to find her answer before she voiced it.

"I don't want to." Kagome said with a sigh and looked up, her face clearly worried. "He actually hit me! That was bad enough but even now a part of me is making excuses for him and wanting to forgive him. Not to mention Sango and Miroku didn't even react to what he did." She said.

"But where would I go?" She continued. "I'll never make it on my own back to Edo, and that's really where I want to go as quickly as possible. After this incident I really need to talk to Keade and see if she has an idea of what to do about cleansing my soul, as well as if there is a way to seal the well against Inuyasha." She explained with a frown. She really did not want him around her family after what he did to her.

"I also want to speak to my grandfather as soon as possible, and if you're right about my neck I'll need to see a doctor, a healer in my time, to see what they can do about it." She finished.

"I will take you to Edo." Sesshomaru stated quietly. "From now on you can travel with me. If you go back to the half-breed now he will smell me on you from healing your wound. That will make things worse for you."

"Can Shippo come as well?" She asked anxiously. As long as she could keep Shippo with her she would have no problem going with him. After all when she first came to this time she had immediately started traveling with Inuyasha without knowing him. Now with Sesshomaru she at least knew enough about him to feel comfortable traveling with him.

"Yes. I am aware that the kit goes where you go, and I am sure Rin will enjoy his company." He confirmed.

With that assurance Kagome quickly packed her first aid kit, slipped on her backpack, grabbed her bow and Shippo, than turned to the waiting demon lord.

Sesshomaru stepped close to his little miko and wrapped his arms around her, leaving Shippo between them, and used his orb form to take them just outside the village in Edo. He was pleased to see that both miko and kit were properly dazed and impressed.

"I will wait for you here." He said as he stepped away from the pair, not wanting to deal with the smells of the village or hear the whispers about his presence.

Kagome nodded and with that she and Shippo made their way to Keade's hut. They found her inside and entered to her welcoming greetings. Once settled Kagome sighed wearily and looked to the woman she thought of as a grandmother.

"What ails ye child?" Keade asked as she heard the sigh and saw the tired set of her shoulders.

"First, I wanted to ask if there is a way to seal the well against Inuyasha." She stated firmly to show just how serious she was. "After a visit from Kouga Inuyasha was angry. He accused me of wanting Kouga and demanding if that was why I never push him away. I pointed out quite reasonably that I was just being nice like I am to everyone, including him, and the next thing I know I'm feeling the pain of him slapping me! It left claw marks on my cheek and it was so hard that I had feared my neck would snap if I didn't turn my head with the motion."

"Ye have no markings to mar ye skin now." Keade said, the question clear in her voice.

"Yes. That would be the work of my new traveling companion. Sesshomaru healed me and brought us here. Shippo and I will be traveling with him from now on. I know that this is probably surprising to you but there is a reason other than this latest incident with Inuyasha. Although, truthfully that is reason enough." Kagome explained.

Keade was saddened but at the same time not completely surprised. Inuyasha's behavior had always concerned her. Even when she was a little girl and her sister was still alive. Sometimes she witnessed certain behavior or things he would say to Kikyou that concerned or alarmed her. She was sure that her sister had noticed the same things because she always reacted instantly.

When he was released from the sacred tree by Kagome he had displayed the same behavior only he no longer seemed to be hiding it. She had been very grateful for the sacred beads her sister had made before she passed. She had known instantly that the young miko would need them and need them often. She had been right and although she noticed his behavior had mellowed she was not fooled. She still saw instances where he would slip, and of course the way he spoke to and treated Kagome was no secret. She was just glad that the young woman had never let her feelings for the half dog demon make her remove those beads.

And now it had come to this. Keade moved to a small wooden box she kept by her bedroll and removed a sutra she had made up shortly after Kagome had begun to travel with Inuyasha.

"I believe Inuyasha's connection to ye through the sacred beads are what allows him to travel freely through the well. This sutra will prevent the beads from going through. Since he cannot remove the beads he will not be allowed through, and if he ever did find a way to remove the beads his connection to ye would be gone, still preventing him from traversing the well." Keade explained as she handed over the sutra.

"Thank you _so_ much Keade." Kagome thanked the elderly woman profusely, happy and grateful that she had had the sense to think of a solution when no one else had even considered it necessary.

"The second thing I wanted to ask is if there is a way to cleanse a person's soul." She said once she had calmed down, and then proceeded to explain her thoughts and feelings for Inuyasha and how Sesshomaru had suggested that it was her soul that felt for the half-demon and not her heart.

"I've come up with the theory that Kikyou made a selfish wish on the jewel before she died along the lines of wanting to be with Inuyasha in her next life." Kagome stated. "Because the wish was selfish the jewel didn't disappear, and in fact the jewel was housed in her reincarnation so that even in her next life she wouldn't be free of the jewel she had tried to free herself of in her former life." She explained.

"I honestly don't know if Kikyou actually thought to wish on the jewel or if it was simply a dying wish, but I think the jewel granted it either way because I really have no reason to feel the way I do about Inuyasha with everything he's put me through." She finished quietly.

Normally she would feel bad saying all that since Keade was Kikyou's sister, but this time she couldn't make herself feel that way. There really was no other explanation for her feelings for Inuyasha or why she continued to make excuses and forgive him all the time.

Keade understood and did not take offense. Her sister had been angry when she died but she knew that Kikyou had loved the half demon because the perceived betrayal would not have hurt as much as it did, so she knew Kagome's theory was possible especially with her behavior taken in to context.

"It is possible for ye to cleanse ye soul." Keade began. "Ye would need to purify it. However, ye would need to be in control of ye powers to do so. Ye would need to guide ye powers to where it needed to go."

Kagome was relieved to know that cleansing her soul was possible, but at the same time disheartened since she knew it would be difficult to control her powers.

"Thank you so much for all your help Keade." She said gratefully. "When you see the others could you not tell them who Shippo and I are with? Or about my situation concerning Inuyasha?" She asked. "You can tell them about the well if you want to, but if you don't want to and they can't trace the sutra back to you, if they know it's there at all, then not telling them would be even better." She added thoughtfully.

"No worries child. I shall keep ye situation and the company ye keep to myself." The elderly woman assured her. "I will wait until I hear from the others to decide about the information on the well. However, I am inclined to keep that to myself as well."

"Thank you again. I'm going to apply the sutra to the well and then head home to see my family, and get my neck looked at since the pain is already starting to get worse." Kagome said as she gathered her things.

"Good luck child. And do not be a stranger." Keade said quietly.

"I won't. I'll definitely visit. Sesshomaru should be able to tell if the others are here so we can avoid them." She assured her.

"Then farewell and take care. The both of you." Keade said.

Both she and Shippo said their goodbyes and left, quickly meeting up with the demon lord where they left him. Kagome told him about the sutra Keade had provided for her as they walked toward the well and how it was supposed to work.

When they arrived at the well she knelt down behind it and curiously tried to call up and push her powers into the well since she had always been able to sense the wells magic and had been curious about it.

Her powers gratefully responded and surprisingly so did the well. To her it felt like a curious greeting which she tried to respond to before doing her best to explain the sutra, and ask if it would work to keep Inuyasha out and if the well would allow her to use it.

The well replied that the sutra would work and that it too would work in concert with it to keep the half demon from going through its passage.

Kagome placed the sutra under the lip of the well and said a small prayer, and watched as the sutra glowed a soft blue before sinking into the wood. She smiled as she stood up and explained to Shippo and Sesshomaru that the well appeared to be sentient. It didn't so much as speak in words but through its magic, and that it said the sutra would work and it would help to reinforce it.

Sesshomaru nodded slightly to convey his understanding and waited to see what his little miko intended to do next.

"I'm going to go home now and get my neck looked at because you were right. The pain is getting worse and turning my neck is becoming painful. I also want to see if my grandfather has anything to add to what Keade said about cleansing my soul." Kagome explained before her eyes widened. "Oh! I still need to tell you what she said!"

"I'll do it Kagome." Shippo volunteered and scrunched up his courage before jumping onto the demon lord's shoulder.

Sesshomaru blinked slowly at the kit perched on his shoulder and holding on to his spiked armor, his little body trembling, before looking back to the miko.

"That is acceptable. Focus on your health and take your time with your family." He stated. "I still need to retrieve my pack and I do not want you returning only to find the half-breed waiting for you." He explained. Left unsaid was that it would also give him and the kit time to grow use to the others presence.

"I will be back in three days. We shall be waiting for you." Sesshomaru assured her. "Practice meditating. You will need that skill to help access your power at will, and not only will you need to be able to access your power in order to hide your scent and aura but I am sure you will need to in order to do what is required of you to remove the tainted wish from your soul."

"I understand. I'll be sure to practice." She assured him. "You two take care and tell Rin I can't wait to see her." She said and after receiving their assurances she jumped into the well, disappearing in a flash of blue light.

**~o~o~o~o~**

Kagome landed gently at the bottom of the well and automatically looked up to see the roof of the well house. She climbed out and made her way to the doors. Once the doors were open she peeked out to make sure the way was clear before exiting and walking to her house.

It was quiet inside but she continued on, first removing her backpack and shoes and heading to the kitchen since her mother seemed to always be there for one reason or another. She needed to tell her as well as the rest of her family about what was going on with her.

Kagome could now admit to herself that because of her feelings for Inuyasha she had not been telling her family what was happening on the other side of the well. She had not wanted her mother to worry any more than she already was, her grandfather was old and she had not wanted him to age any quicker, and her younger brother was just that…young.

She hadn't told them about the many times she had been injured or hurt so bad that she had not been able to travel through the well without alarming her family. She had thanked every god she could think of that she had never been injured to the point where she would have to go through the well to get medical treatment.

Not to mention they all liked Inuyasha. Her family knew how she felt about him and she hadn't wanted to ruin their good opinion of him by telling them how many times she had been hurt or kidnapped, which meant that he had failed to protect her. She also hadn't wanted to tell them how he treated her. She was aware that her mother had seen glimpses of it when he would come to retrieve her, but those were only small instances. They were puzzle pieces to a larger picture. One where he constantly insulted her, treated her rudely, demeaned her, treated her disrespectfully, and the coarse language he always used that seemed to be worse when he was speaking to her.

Kagome was also uncomfortably aware that they all probably thought she was in a relationship with him. She wasn't. That part of her that loved the dog eared boy wanted them to be together, but there was no denying the fact that they had no such understanding. Surely there were ways to show ones preference for another. She just wasn't sure how it was done in the feudal era. Then again maybe she was. Inuyasha certainly had been showing his preference for Kikyou every time he compared her to the dead woman and every time he ditched her for the woman.

She had not wanted to tell her family any of this, but now things were different. They needed to know that he would not be coming to this time anymore and why that was. She knew she could not trust him anymore and especially not with her family after he had hit her. It had been over such a small thing as expressing her opinion. If he could hit her over something like that then he could react the same way with her family, and possibly in a more violent manner depending on what was said or done. She could not risk it with them or herself.

"Hi mom." Kagome said softly as she entered the kitchen and spotted her mother sitting at the table reading a magazine.

"Kagome! Did you just get back?" Mrs. Higarashi asked as she made to stand and hug her daughter, but stopped when Kagome waved her back into her seat and sat down herself.

"Yes I did mom, and I've missed you." Kagome said warmly with a smile that almost immediately faded as she remembered what she needed to say. "We need to talk mom." She said seriously. "I've left Inuyasha, Sango, and Miroku mom. Shippo and I will be traveling with Sesshomaru from now on."

"What?!" Mrs. Higarashi said in shock. "Why? What has happened?" She demanded with a frown.

So Kagome started from the beginning with her thoughts of the previous night on until she came through the well. She also made sure to explain to her mother Inuyasha's behavior when it came to Kikyou so she could better understand.

Mrs. Higarashi sat in dismay. She had known about the circumstances between Inuyasha and Kikyou, as well as the woman's resurrection and the fact that she had a piece of her daughters soul, but she had not known that Inuyasha was leaving Kagome unprotected at night or to protect the older woman instead of her daughter when both were in danger!

She was shocked, sad, and angry. She was mostly angry at herself and Inuyasha. He had promised he would take care of her daughter and protect her, and now she was learning that he had been messing up on a massive scale and had actually now resorted to hitting her. She was very much angry with herself because she had seen the signs of his treatment of her daughter and did nothing. She knew that there was nothing she could have done. Kagome needed to go back into the past and set right what she had done, and she could not help her with that but she was still upset over it.

Not to mention she had been the one to help Kagome realize that what she had been feeling for the half demon was love, and now she was finding out that it was actually her soul- that had been influenced by a wish on that cursed jewel- that was manipulating her emotions to make her think she was in love.

Mrs. Higarashi sat in silence, thinking of all she had learned and how she felt about it. First, she decided that there was nothing she could do about it now except be more vigilant. Her daughter had removed herself from the situation with the help of a demon lord apparently. Second, she was going to take her daughter to the hospital to have her neck examined.

"Come on Kagome. Let's get you to the hospital." Mrs. Higarashi said as she got to her feet. They put their shoes on and were out to the car and on their way within minutes. "Tell me about this Sesshomaru." She said, wanting to know all she could about the demon who would now be protecting her daughter. She would not make the same mistake twice.

Kagome explained all she could even knowing some of it would be a repeat from when she first encountered the demon lord. She explained that he was Inuyasha's older half-brother, he was a full demon, took care of a little human girl, and did _not_ like his half-brother. He was powerful and would be able to protect her, but more importantly he was willing to teach her to protect herself.

She continued to explain but said that a lot of what she knew she learned from Inuyasha and now she wasn't sure any of it could be trusted, and she also admitted that she had been biased toward Sesshomaru because of her feelings for Inuyasha. Only the things she had seen with her own eyes were trustworthy.

Upon reaching the hospital and waiting to see a doctor she was informed that she had a serious case of whiplash. She was given a neck brace to keep her neck steady and to prevent turning too suddenly as well as prescribed some mild pain relievers. The doctor cautioned that he did not want the pain to be completely gone so that she wouldn't forget about her injury and hurt herself again.

With her neck having been seen to Kagome and her mother headed back home and found her grandfather there. She immediately went to him and first asked him about meditation techniques, which he gladly offered in great detail. She then asked him if he knew any ways to help cleans her soul and after informing him of Keade's suggestion, he suggested bathing in holy water in addition to, or before, using her powers to purify her soul. He also suggested additional meditation techniques to help her focus her mind on the task.

Kagome was happy that she had gotten everything she wanted accomplished on her first day back. Since her grandfather had been able to answer all her questions and she had her neck looked at, she was able to spend her remaining time with her family and meditating. She didn't worry about speaking to her brother and grandfather about her situation since she and her mother decided she would explain what happened after she went through the well.

She also stayed at home for the most part and didn't worry about going to school. She thought learning to access her powers on command was more important than going to school at the moment, so she could learn how to use her powers and eventually free her soul as well as protect herself. Besides that, she was sure that since she would now be traveling with Sesshomaru she would be able to study and do her homework without complaint. She was positive that with him being a lord he would know and understand how important education was.

On her third day home Kagome packed her new black bag lightly, no longer needing to carry tons of ramen and not needing multiple pairs of her uniform or other short skirts. She ate a filling meal, said her goodbyes to her family, and jumped into the well.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer****: I do not own Inuyasha or his characters, and have no right to it except as a long time fan.**

**Soul Cleansing**

_**Chapter Three: Inu Packs**_

**Sesshomaru's Pack**

Kagome sat soaking in a hot spring relaxing after a day of training herself. Sesshomaru had been gone for three days now but she wasn't worried. They knew it would be days for her compared to the hours for him. He had gone to run an errand and wouldn't tell her what it was, but she had a suspicion that it had something to do with her.

_Perhaps a courting gift_. The thought made her pass her fingers over the mark he had given her five months ago, and remember how she had come to being courted by the demon lord of the west and all that had happened since then.

**-/-/-/-sc-/-/-/-**

_Warm blue light faded as Kagome's feet touched the bottom of the well. She let her power flow out of her as gently as she could, something that was easier to do since she had been meditating, and thanked the well for the safe passage. She was startled at its reply, a gentle surge of magic, even though she shouldn't be. After all she knew it could communicate._

_Kagome looked up to the sky and suddenly found herself gazing into golden eyes framed by a navy blue crescent moon and two sets of twin magenta strips._

"_Hello my Lord." She greeted the demon lord above her a bit shyly in a quiet tone, and was suddenly joined in the well only to find herself quickly out of its confines and standing on grass. "Thank you." She said as she looked up to him and watched him nod slightly._

_Happy cries of "Kagome" and "Lady Kagome" sounded and she turned with a smile already on her face and greeted Shippo and Rin cheerfully._

_Once the children were greeted and their questions satisfied Sesshomaru began to lead them all away from the well, and Kagome took the opportunity to inform him about her meditation practices and her grandfather's advice._

"_Hn." The sound conveying his pleasure at her progress as they walked. "I will be using my youki to mask yours and the kits scent and aura until the both of you learn to do so." He informed her quietly, his eyes never straying from the path he was leading._

"_Thank you. That's a relief." Kagome said gratefully, glad she wouldn't have to worry about Inuyasha or Kirara catching hers or Shippo's scent._

_Once Rin and Shippo were settled for the night and fast asleep Sesshomaru silently guided Kagome away from their camp to speak to her privately away from Jaken and the sleeping children. When they were as comfortably seated on a fallen tree as they could be she turned and gave all her attention to the demon lord in her company._

"_We are traveling to a demon village to procure you clothing fit for this time and traveling with me." Sesshomaru informed her, deciding it was time to make her aware of their destination._

"_Oh! Thank you." Kagome said happily, her appreciation clear in her voice. She could not wait to have something that would allow her to blend in with everyone around her._

"_Kagome." He began, speaking her name for the first time. "I would like to court you." He informed her calmly._

Court me? _She thought as her eyes widened. She was surprised that he could feel such a way about her since he didn't strike her as the type to mate anyone he felt nothing for._

_Hearing Sesshomaru say he wanted to court her reminded Kagome of the day after her revelations when he called her from her camp and her belated notice that he hadn't actually said anything. It had been as if he had only wanted to see her, and with what he had just said to her she was thinking that that was exactly what it had been. Then there was the fact that he suddenly showed up later that day after Inuyasha hit her and took care of her wound, and on top of that he was willing to help her and Shippo._

Let's not forget his reaction to my arousal after he finished healing my cheek. _She reminded herself. _There was no mistaking the look in his eyes. _She added with a mental nod._

"_What exactly does courting me entail?" She asked just to be sure before she made a decision._

"_The courting process involves two individuals becoming acquainted, getting to know each other, which would hopefully lead to a mating. Should the courtship be agreed upon courting marks are placed. This is done so other demons know the individuals involved are in the process of being courted and are not to be approached for the purpose of mating." Sesshomaru explained patiently._

"_I understand that you do not know much about me, and most of what you do know you learned from the half-breed which is most likely wrong, and that I myself do not know much about you. Courting would give us a chance to learn one another." He continued, his eyes trained on her face to catch any and all reactions to his words._

"_What I do know about you is enough to make me certain that I want you as my mate, hence I am willing to open up to you, and you alone, so you can learn about me and see what comes of your feelings." He informed her in a quiet serious tone._

_Kagome took in what the demon lord told her and remembered her recent reactions to him. The beating of her heart, the shivers along her body, the hitch in her breathing, the blushing, and the fact that she wasn't really scared of him- his presence or his touch._

I guess I'm attracted to him. I just need to get to know him and see if I can feel more for him, if I can love him. _She considered thoughtfully. _He said he would open himself up to me. Does that mean he's going to let me see something other than blankness on his face? Will I be able to ask him questions? If I can, will there be any subjects that are off limits? _She wondered as she looked over at him._

"_Just to clarify, can I ask you questions? Any questions?" She asked, wanting confirmation._

"_You may, however, I would appreciate you saving questions that require lengthy explanations for times such as thus." Sesshomaru answered, referring to the fact that they were alone._

"_Okay. I will." Kagome said readily. After all, he had said that he would only open up to her, so the least she could do was ask the more probing questions when they were completely alone._

"_I would ease your mind in regards to two subjects. Namely my supposed hatred of humans and half demons." He said seriously, wanting to save her the trouble of asking as well as get it out of the way so it hopefully would not hinder her acceptance of his suit._

_Kagome looked on wide eyed and simply nodded. She wanted, __needed__ to know what he would say._

_"I do not hate humans or half-demons. I ignore both just as I ignore every being that has nothing to do with me. Although with humans I tend to stay away from them unless I have a reason not to. It is only the half-breed and his mother that have my hatred." He stated before explaining to his little miko._

_He detailed his family's history with Inuyasha's mother Izayoi. How his father became fascinated with her and she, princess that she was, didn't have a problem with the fact that his father was mated. She still went along and had an affair with him. The affair shamed and insulted his mother, even more so when Izayoi became pregnant. The worst part was that he had discovered that the human princess didn't even care. She had felt no guilt over the fact that his mother had been dishonored and disrespected partially because of her, or the fact that his father had been slowly dying from fighting challenge after challenge because she was too weak and powerless to fight for herself._

_Izayoi was a selfish being that only cared for herself. She only cared that his father was giving her all his attention and anything she ever wanted. That behavior did not stop after his father's death either. She had turned her son into a selfish self-centered bastard. She gave him everything and anything he wanted, and rewarded his bad behavior instead of showing that there were consequences for his actions. This made him think he could do anything and have everything he wanted with no problem. She had kept him from seeing the half-breed and it was only to Inuyasha's detriment. It was one of the reasons the half-breed was so split inside about being a half demon and lacked control. He had not been able to teach the whelp about his instincts so he did not know how to handle or listen to them._

_He had not even been able to get to him after the woman had died because by then the half-breed didn't trust anyone. That was his mother's fault. Despite Izayoi's massive coddling, the humans around him hated him and had no problem letting him know. He had watched him from afar after that and was witness to his behavior worsening as time passed. He watched the whelp make friends of kind humans only to turn around and betray them once he had what he wanted or they realized they were being used before he could betray them outright. It was always humans because demons would be able to sense the deception in him one way or another._

_Kagome listened silently, her surprise mounting with every word that passed his lips. She had never thought of things from Sesshomaru's perspective before. She had always assumed it was a great love story between Inuyasha's mother and their father. She had never remembered that Sesshomaru's mother was the victim in a sense. That the great Inu no Taisho had cheated on her and shamed her. That Inuyasha's mother was a princess who apparently didn't care that she was sleeping with a male that was, as far as she was concerned, married. Inuyasha's mother was 'the other woman'. It reminded Kagome of what Inuyasha seemed to have been trying to turn her into. Trying to make her 'the other woman'. It appeared he was taking after his father in the wrong way._

_She was also surprised at what she was learning about Inuyasha's childhood. He had always told her that Sesshomaru hated him because his mother was human and he was a half demon. That he had never had any friends and had grown up alone because no one wanted to be around a filthy half demon._

It would be so easy to think that Sesshomaru is lying to me, telling me these things to get what he wanted, but if there's one thing I absolutely knew about him, it's that he's an honest demon, brutally honest in fact._ She thought with a light sigh._

_It had never occurred to Kagome that Inuyasha's mother was a bad parental figure. Never occurred to her that Izayoi was a spoiled princess and had passed that trait on to her son, and because of that he was of the belief that he could have anything he wanted just because he wanted it. The new knowledge definitely helped to explain a great deal of his behavior since she had met him, and especially his behavior when it came to her and Kikyou. The dead woman seemed to be the one he wanted but Kagome acted very similar to his mother, letting him do whatever he wanted and forgiving everything he did with no consequences, so he wanted her too._

_Now that she was thinking about it it was very possible that her behavior with Inuyasha made him think she was fine with him going off to Kikyou all the time, and treating her like she was worthless and that he was doing her a favor by keeping her to himself._

_As far as humans of this time, they were not beings she thought Sesshomaru would want to be around with his sensitive nose, and she knew from her history books the way humans treated each other. She had always been glad that she hadn't been born to this time. Especially since she had seen with her own eyes how humans treated those that were different, whether they were demons, half demons, or humans protecting them. So she could definitely understand why he would stay away from humans unless they happened to put themselves in his way._

_Kagome nodded to herself with a small smile. She was happy that Sesshomaru had explained those things right away. She had begun to believe his human and half demon hating reputation was wrong, but to hear it directly from him was just what she needed._

"_How will you place the courting mark on me?" She asked curiously as she gazed at him._

"_I will bite you here," Sesshomaru said as he placed his large clawed hand lightly on the juncture between her shoulder and neck. "and inject a small amount of my youki. A mark unique to me will appear and contain my scent and a hint of my power." He explained clearly._

"_Okay." She said with a nod, her eyes slightly wide as she wondered how that would feel. "I would be honored to enter into a courtship with you Lord Sesshomaru." She accepted as formally as she could with a shy smile._

_Sesshomaru nodded, his eyes lit with softness as he moved closer to his little miko. He gently pulled aside the collar of the strange top she wore, leaned in, and slowly ran his tongue along the juncture on the left side of her neck. He savored the shudder that skipped through her body, golden eyes flashing blood red for a moment, before he sank his fangs into her flesh._

_Kagome stiffened and drew in a sharp breath at the pain radiating from where the sharp fangs were embedded. She forced herself to breath calmly through the pain and was glad she did when his youki began to slowly flow into her. Her reiki rose automatically to her defense but she held it back, not wanting it to interfere with the courting mark. Soon his heavy power was no longer flowing into her and he was removing his fangs. His tongue slowly lapped at her skin and she sighed in relief as the pain began to fade._

_Sesshomaru gave a tiny smile as he sensed his power and smelled himself wafting off his miko. He pulled away and looked at her neck, curious to see what his mark would look like._

_There clear as day was the navy blue outline of a crescent moon the same size as the one gracing his forehead._

** ~o~o~o~o~**

_After that night the small pack continued on their way toward the demon village, Kagome practicing her meditation every chance she got. Not only did their travels give her time to practice accessing her power and getting use to its feel, it gave her the chance to think about the demon lord courting her._

_Just traveling with Sesshomaru and observing him granted her the ability to get to know him better without having to speak to him. She realized quickly that he was a male of action rather then words. He only spoke when he had something to say and would rather convey his point through actions, because actions meant more to him since words can be fickle, broken, and misunderstood._

_When they arrived at the village Rin and Shippo were left in Jaken and Ah-Un's care and Kagome was taken to a spider demon to get her clothing made. She and Sesshomaru had discussed it during one of their evening talks and agreed that she should wear something that she would be comfortable in and that would cover her but allow for free movement as well._

_After seeing samples of the seamstresses work Kagome decided on wearing something similar to Sesshomaru's outfit. Feminine hakama pants were commissioned along with short knee length kimono's, under kimono, and obi sashes in black, navy blue, light gray, dark gray, and cream with different patterns and decorative designs on the kimono's in navy blue, green, sky blue, purple, royal blue, magenta, and teal. Colors that would bring out her eye color and go well with her hair and skin color. A few sleeping yukata were added to the order before Sesshomaru was satisfied._

_As the clothing was being made Sesshomaru took her to get a pair of black boots like his. When she worried about how much he was spending on her he informed her that he was a wealthy demon and he would not allow the female he was courting to wear anything but the best._

_Once Kagome's small wardrobe was finished they began to travel again. She didn't ask where they were going. Asking wouldn't get them there any faster, and that was if Sesshomaru had a specific destination in mind. Plus, she was already getting use to not talking so much, at least to not fill in the silence that seemed to surround the demon lord. She actually liked not feeling obligated to talk and spread cheer to try and keep up morale. Sesshomaru didn't need it and the children didn't either._

_It was only a few days later before they finally reached a dense forest and were led inside by their alpha. Not long after they entered Kagome began to feel a massive dense yet calm youki. It didn't worry her but she thought it strange since they were surrounded by trees and seemingly nothing else. When Sesshomaru stopped she was greeted by the largest tree she had ever seen, and wasn't entirely surprised when a face melted into view._

_"Ah, welcome Sesshomaru-sama. What can this old demon do for you my lord?" The tree said, Kagome's eyes widening in response. A talking tree. It shouldn't surprise her but it did._

_"Bokusenō." Sesshomaru greeted the magnolia tree demon in his quiet baritone voice. "I am in search of a safe private place to train the alpha female of my pack." He stated consultatively._

_"Step forward child." Bokusenō said in a soothing tone, and Kagome stepped up to stand beside Sesshomaru. "Are you not the miko who travels with Sesshomaru-sama's younger half-brother?" He asked after a few moments inspection._

_"I am." Kagome answered honestly as she gazed at the wizened old face in the tree._

_"Will you tell this old one why you no longer travel with the half demon Inuyasha when you did for so long?" Bokusenō asked kindly._

_Kagome frowned slightly, remembering what Inuyasha did to her, and looked to Sesshomaru for direction. Something not missed by the magnolia. She received a slight nod of encouragement, so she explained the situation with her soul and the violent action Inuyasha took against her that caused her to leave her old pack._

_Bokusenō narrowed his eyes as he listened to her tale then closed his eyes in thought. The clearing was silent as they waited to see if the old demon tree knew of a location for them._

_"There is an area, located deep within the west, where time flows differently." Bokusenō suggested as he opened his eyes. "It is a private utopia for those who know how to find it. You must pass through a forest until you reach the base of a mountain range, a cave entrance will be waiting for you. Once you enter the cave you must pass through a labyrinth of tunnels until you reach the area." He explained patiently. "You should have no problem getting through the labyrinth with Sesshomaru-sama leading the way." He assured Kagome when she frowned worriedly at the mention of a labyrinth._

_"What did you mean when you said time flows differently?" Kagome asked curiously and Sesshomaru listened intently._

_Bokusenō explained that for every day that passed inside the area, an hour would go by outside it. Kagome did some mental calculations and her eyes widened at the answer she came up with._

_"So for every day, ever twenty four hours, that goes by almost a month passes inside this private utopia?" She asked in surprise._

_"Indeed miko Kagome." The tree demon confirmed, revealing that he knew her name in the process. "It should give you plenty of time to train your alpha female Sesshomaru-sama." Bokusenō stated to his lord._

**-/-/-/-sc-/-/-/-**

Since they had been in the private utopia Kagome had been training hard, working on more things then she thought she would when she began traveling with Sesshomaru. She was very happy with her progress and even more so since Sesshomaru was pleased as well. There was no denying that he was a hard task master, but he was patient and thorough in her training.

Even Shippo had benefited from the demon lord. He learned how to use his youki better, learned to defend himself, he learned to hunt- something he had been in desperate need of, and he was behaving more calmly among other things. On the flipside Rin had benefited from her presence as well. She was no longer wandering away from the pack like she used to in search of entertainment, she had learned to meditate, and was learning different uses for the flowers she loved so much.

Kagome calmly pulled herself from the soothing water of the hot spring and dried herself off. She dressed herself in a pair of light gray sweat pants, a white tank top, and a navy blue sleeping yukata that she had taken to wearing like a robe.

She then grabbed her bow and arrows, the only weapon she brought with her to the spring, since even though there didn't seem to be any demons in the strange time utopia there was still wild animals, and headed back to the spacious cave they had chosen to camp in during their stay.

**~o~o~o~o~**

Sesshomaru sped high in the sky on his youki cloud on his way to see Totosai, his thoughts full of his little miko's training and her progress.

He was highly pleased with his mate-to-be. He had found that she was a fast learner when she had someone willing to teach her who was patient and calm. He trained her to use her powers, emphasizing that she use her imagination as much as possible. He theorized that since she was not born in that era and taught the way miko's usually were, she had an advantage- that she was never told or taught that she could not do something.

Sesshomaru knew that most priestess' were told they could not do something because most did not have enough power. In some cases, however, they did have the power and simply never tried because they had already been conditioned to think they could not do it.

Because of this advice his miko was able to do many things other priestess' most likely had never thought to do or could even _think_ to do. He had been witness to Kagome forming arrows of varying sizes out of her holy power, thin whips that she called wires, throwing daggers, barriers to make her invisible to the eyes and make her soundless to the ears, and much much more.

Some things had even been very unexpected despite having told her to utilize her imagination.

**-/-/-/-sc-/-/-/-**

_The demon lord and miko sat resting in the grass in a clearing, having just finished sparing with nothing but their powers. Barriers of various shapes and sizes had been erected to protect themselves. His poison acid whip had flashed out numerous times from his clawed fingertips, and her purity arrows had flown from the palm of her hands with amazing speed._

_Sesshomaru had just finished telling his miko that he was very pleased with the control she had on her reiki when he sensed anxiousness radiating in her aura. He waited patiently, knowing that she would speak when she was ready, and wondered at the sudden determination that began to overpower her anxiousness._

"_There's something I want to do now that I have your approval on the control I have of my powers." Kagome said quietly, a little nervousness slipping into her voice._

_Without waiting for a reply she straddled the demon lord's lap and brought her lips to his as she snaked her arms around his neck, happy that he was not wearing his armor. As she felt his hands settle on her hips her tongue slipped into his mouth and traced his deadly fangs. Heat began to build between them and she broke away from his lips before she lost her focus. Warm kisses were planted on his cheek and down the left side of his neck as her fingers pulled his haori aside confidently._

_Kagome concentrated, willing her reiki to form a solid pair of fangs in her mouth._

_Sesshomaru's brow creased ever so slightly as he felt his miko's power rise. He was idly wondering what she was doing when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his neck. His eyes widened in shock and his body stiffened. He felt her light reiki slowly flow into him and he pulled his youki back to keep it from interfering as he realized what she was doing._

_After a few moments Kagome cut the flow of her power and licked at the wound to try and sooth it the same way he had done for her. She pulled away to see if it worked and smiled in satisfaction at the outline of a golden sun in the same size as the crescent moon he had given her._

_She kissed the courting mark, happy and proud that others would know that he was unavailable should the need arise for him to prove it._

**-/-/-/-sc-/-/-/-**

Sesshomaru had been very surprised when she had given him a courting mark since he did not think she would ever be able to, but he had also been very pleased that she had done so. Pleased that she had wanted to claim him. It showed him the strength of her developing feelings.

Over the course of Kagome's training the courting mark had not been the only thing that surprised him. He had also been surprised by the fact that her powers had changed colors at some point, going from light pink to light blue.

Aside from her powers he had taught his miko how to use twin long daggers. After getting her opinion he decided that those would work better for her than a sword, especially when first starting to use a blade. He was pleased that she took to them very well.

After seeing how well she was with the daggers he reconsidered his opinion on her using a sword, and wondered how she would handle using twin swords. She consented to try, out of curiosity's sake, and they were both surprised at how well she did and happy that she got better with practice.

His little miko's training had now progressed to the point where he determined it was now time for her to wield weapons made for her, so she could use her powers with them, which was why he was currently in route to see Totosai.

When Sesshomaru finally reached Totosai's volcanic mountain home the old demon was obviously dismayed to see him.

"I am NOT making you a sword and there is nothing you can do or say to change my mind!" Totosai said bluntly even though he was clearly afraid.

"I am not here about a weapon for myself. I do not need one." Sesshomaru said with quiet dignity. "I am here for the female that will soon be my mate."

"Has she met you yet? She know what she's getting into?" Totosai asked in shock.

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed in irritation but he answered none-the-less.

"She bares my courting mark and I am currently training her, which is why I am here. It is time she had proper weapons." He stated.

"What do you have in mind?" Totosai asked cautiously.

"Twin long daggers made from one of my fangs, and twin swords made from one of my fangs and claw dust for added protection." The demon lord stated clearly.

Totosai's large eyes widened as he stared at the Inu demon in front of him. He was shocked that Sesshomaru was willing to give not only fangs for this female but claw dust as well. _Who is this female? What is she like that the cold demon lord of the west is willing to go to such trouble for her?_ He wondered as he went and grabbed a ridiculously large pair of pliers.

"Open wide." He said to the demon lord as he expertly snapped the pliers as if he was impatient to get at his fangs.

Sesshomaru sighed internally but opened his mouth none-the-less. Two large fangs were immediately snatched painfully from his mouth, but the ache didn't last and he knew they would grow back within a few minutes. He then walked outside the cave and transformed into his true form and carefully stuck one of his front paws inside so the old sword smith could get some clippings from one of his claws.

Once that was taken care of he changed back into his humanoid form and strode back into the cave, listening to Totosai mumble about grinding the clippings down. He then watched as the old man set the clippings next to the fangs and tilted his head as if he were listening to something, which he knew was entirely possible. Swords spoke to the old demon so it made sense that the material to make them spoke as well.

"It will be done just as you said." Totosai nodded before turning to Sesshomaru. "Your fangs and claw clippings are very specific about what they want to be. Who is this female that would cause them to be so demanding?" He asked.

Sesshomaru held back a sigh and decided to just get it over with.

"The female I am courting is the miko Kagome." He stated. "She and her kit travel with me now. The only one who knows this fact is the old miko who lives in the village the half-breed calls home. She is the only one who would be able to tell the half-breed, and I am sure that she will keep the knowledge to herself knowing what the half-breed did." He explained blandly.

Totosai was quiet for a long time, then blinked his large eyes as he seemed to remember that the demon lord was still there.

"The blades are so she can use her powers with them." He stated as he eyed the Inu.

Sesshomaru inclined his head in agreement with the sword smith's assessment.

"Very well. They will be done in two weeks at the most, one week at the least. I'll deliver them when they're finished." He said.

Sesshomaru nodded before he turned and left the sword smith to his work. He had one more thing to take care of before he returned to his pack. He traveled to the demon village they had recently gone to and went back to the spider demon who made his miko's clothing, and commissioned more kimono's for her but with his family crest on the left shoulder and sleeves just like what was displayed on his haori.

He would present the new short kimono's to her after their mating.

**~o~o~o~o~**

It was five more days before the alpha of their pack returned, and when he did he came with some unexpected reading material for Kagome and the children since they had both taught their adopted child how to read and write. Sesshomaru brought scrolls on etiquette, demon history, demon customs, and dog demon customs. He had even found a scroll on fox demon customs for Shippo.

Kagome learned that the majority of the scrolls were mostly for her to study since she would be mating a demon, living among demons, and ruling them. She needed to know how to act, how to conduct herself around demons and how to be a lady in that era among demon society.

Even though the scrolls were mostly for Kagome it would be to their benefit for the children to study them as well. Shippo would need to know such things since he was a demon, and Rin was like Kagome- a human living among demons. Both would need to know how to conduct themselves properly since they would be the children of the Lord and Lady of the west.

Studying the scrolls was added to the routine they had fallen into since they arrived in the utopia. The days were dedicated to meditation, hand to hand combat sparing, sparing with powers, practicing with weapons, studying scrolls, and doing homework. Most of the routine was spent with Sesshomaru, but meditation, studying scrolls, and doing homework were things she could do with Rin and Shippo so she could spend time with them.

They continued that way until Sesshomaru and Kagome decided it was time to leave and rejoin the world in the regular time flow.

**Inuyasha's Pack**

_**~6 months later~**_

Things were not going well since Kagome's disappearance.

Tetsusaiga no longer worked, they hadn't found any jewel shards, and they had no idea where Kagome was or if she was even alive. Inuyasha had not been able to go through the well and Miroku hadn't found anything that could block his access, but they did not want to think the reason was because she was dead.

Inuyasha had even asked Kikyou if she could check the well but she refused, saying that if her reincarnation had left for good then she wasn't going to help get her back because she didn't belong there.

The fact that Kikyou had not gloated about finally having the rest of her soul was a good indication that she was not dead at least. Of course that didn't mean she hadn't been kidnapped and was being held against her will along with Shippo. Or that they hadn't been wrong and her soul wouldn't go to Kikyou but move on to the next reincarnation if she died.

Inuyasha thought back on what happened after Kagome and Shippo left the clearing that fateful day.

**-/-/-/-sc-/-/-/-**

_Inuyasha blinked at his bloody claws, his ears flattening on top of his head at the smell of Kagome's blood. He looked up and stared at her back as she and Shippo moved toward the fresh water he could smell._

_He couldn't believe he had hit Kagome, but he hadn't been able to help it. She just made him so fucking pissed with her back talk and always being nice to that filthy wolf. The wench knew her place. She belong to him. She shouldn't let other males touch her. Yeah she wasn't happy about him seeing Kikyou but she still accepted it and didn't try to stop him from having what he wanted._

_And what he wanted was Kikyou as well as Kagome. So he figured since the wench accepted it she shouldn't let other males touch her, and if she did she would have to accept the consequences of allowing it._

"_Why did you strike Lady Kagome?" Miroku asked as calmly as he could with his mind still reeling from what he had witnessed._

"_The wench needed to be reminded of her place." Inuyasha growled as he wiped his claws on his hakama. "I'm tired of her letting that filthy wolf touch what's mine!" He added angrily._

_Sango stared at her companions, speechless after what she had witnessed and heard. Still, she shook herself out of it, knowing she would have time later to process what happened._

"_Should we go after her?" She asked worriedly as she looked in the direction Kagome and Shippo had gone._

"_No. Let's give her some time." Miroku suggested. "Shippo's with her and if she gets into any trouble she can't handle then I'm sure she'll call for help." He said reasonably._

_With that the two humans and half demon settled down to wait, the clearing they sat in silent as they lost themselves in their thoughts. Before they knew it nearly an hour had passed and Kagome and Shippo had yet to come back._

"_I'm going to go check on Kagome. See if she's okay and ready to come back." Sango decided as she got to her feet and walked off._

_It was only moments later that Inuyasha and Miroku heard her frantically calling for them and they went running._

"_I can't find Kagome or Shippo!" She cried as they arrived._

_Inuyasha tried to follow their scent but it was fading and there was no trail. There was no scent of blood other then what he had spilt when he hit her, so he knew they hadn't been attacked._

_He growled in frustration as he turned to his remaining pack members._

"_Start searchin' the area." He ordered Sango and Miroku before he ran off to do the same. He just knew they couldn't have gone far._

_When they all met back up none of them had any good news to report. Kagome and Shippo had seemingly disappeared._

_The depleted pack waited until the next day before leaving on the off chance that Kagome might come back. When it was clear that she wouldn't show they rushed back to the village in Edo to see if she had somehow made it back there and to the well._

**~o~o~o~o~**

_When they arrived at the village they found only Keade in her hut. There was no sign of their missing friends._

"_What has happened?" Keade asked, taking in their stressed and worried faces._

"_There isn't much to tell." Inuyasha grumbled. "The wench got upset after one of our usual fights. She took the runt and left. We haven't see them since." He said, leaving out the fact that he had hit her and they didn't know what happened to her._

_Sango and Miroku spoke up to set the record straight. They explained that Kouga had come around for his usual visit with Kagome and after he left Inuyasha began to argue with her about her behavior with the wolf demon. He didn't like the answer she gave and he slapped her for it. They admitted that they stood by and did nothing. Their only excuse was that they were used to seeing such things, and they felt it wasn't their place to interfere in their friend's relationship in such a way. After that she and Shippo left, heading toward a stream. They had decided to give her time to cool down but when they went to check on her after a while there was no trace of her or Shippo._

"_The both of ye should have stepped in and stopped such actions from happening." Keade said as she frowned in disapproval. "Ye know she is not of this time, and such things are not common where she is from." She added before settling her gaze on the Inu half demon._

"_Why did ye hit Kagome?" She asked Inuyasha seriously._

"_Cause the wench pissed me off!" Inuyasha nearly shouted from his seat. "Allowing that shithead to touch her. I'm tired of her allowing him to claim her. She may tell the filthy wolf that she wasn't his woman but she never put a stop to his claims." He complained._

"_Why are ye so concerned about who Kagome accepts when ye have obviously chosen my sister?" Keade asked as she watched him shift in his seat._

"_Cause I want'em both." Inuyasha stated to the shock of all present. "Kagome knows I'm seeing Kikyou and she never tried to stop me, so she obviously has no problem with it. She loves me so much she's willing to share."_

_Miroku and Sango shared a surprised look and shook their heads. They had not realized that Inuyasha wanted both women. They thought that Kagome would have to wait until Kikyou died again to be with Inuyasha, and that until then she would just have to put up with his going off to see the dead woman._

_Was she really willing to share him? They had thought that she didn't approve of such things._

_Keade closed her good eye and shook her head. After hearing their side of what happened she decided to not tell them that she had seen Kagome and Shippo or about the situation with the well._

**-/-/-/-sc-/-/-/-**

Nothing had gone right since that day. Inuyasha found that he was easily angered and irritated since Kagome's disappearance, and the fact that he hadn't seen Kikyou as often as he would have liked didn't help. He had only seen her once every few weeks and she only seemed to come around to find out if her reincarnation had shown up.

Aside from that they had eventually gone to Totosai to find out what the hell was wrong with the Tetsusaiga, but the old senile demon hadn't been much help.

**-/-/-/-sc-/-/-/-**

"_When did it stop working?" Totosai asked as he examined the sword._

"_A few weeks ago." Inuyasha grumbled as he watched the old man look down the swords length then run his fingers along the flat side of the nicked and battered blade._

"_There's nothing wrong with it." Totosai announced as he sheathed the blade and handed it back to Inuyasha._

"_What the fuck do ya mean there's nothin' wrong with it?! It won't transform! Something must be wrong with it!" Inuyasha said angrily as he gripped the sword in his hand._

"_I mean there's nothing wrong with it." Totosai repeated, irritated. "It has simply refused to work for you any longer. It has rejected you." He added for good measure. "Have you done anything that would turn the blade against you?" He asked as he eyed the entire group._

_He didn't get an answer from Inuyasha, but he did witness a somewhat guilty look between the two humans._

"_Where is Kagome? It's been a while since I've seen her." He asked suddenly as he watched them, seeing them shift uneasily._

"_She disappeared a few weeks ago. We haven't been able to find her yet." Miroku said when it became apparent that Inuyasha wouldn't answer._

"_What a shame. I hope you find her soon." Totosai said blandly before turning back to his work as if he was alone._

**-/-/-/-sc-/-/-/-**

Inuyasha growled low from his place at the front of his diminished pack. Not even Naraku had shown his foul self, which if he was being honest with himself was a good thing considering the Tetsusaiga didn't work. But they had been visited by one of his incarnations during the first weeks after Kagome's disappearance.

Kagura had shown up and attacked them. She had had Naraku's insects with her so Miroku hadn't been able to use his wind tunnel, and she had been able to use the wind to protect herself from Sango's massive boomerang. She had also been smart enough to stay in the air on her feather out of reach of any of his physical attacks.

Inuyasha had managed to destroy the insects with his blades of blood, but before Miroku could use his wind tunnel Kagura had flown off. Since then they hadn't seen or had any encounters with Naraku or his incarnations.

They had been spending their time looking for Kagome and Shippo, fighting off lower level demons that decided to attack them, and following rumors of jewel shards. So far they had run into dead ends, either the rumor was false or the jewel was gone by the time they got to the reported area.

Inuyasha growled yet again, his irritation and anger increasing by the second.

He was angry that they hadn't found any jewel shards, angry that they hadn't found Kagome, and angry as well as frustrated that he hadn't seen Kikyou in weeks. He needed the relief that being with her provided. Yeah she was technically dead and her body made of clay. Yeah she stunk to high heaven, but she was still female. _His_ female to be exact. She was his only option until he got Kagome to loosen up enough to be with him while he was still with Kikyou.

Suddenly there was a shout and he turned to see Miroku on his knees clutching the hand that contained the wind tunnel, clearly in pain, Sango at his side with her hands on his shoulder.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer****: I do not own Inuyasha or his characters, and have no right to it except as a long time fan.**

**Soul Cleansing**

_**Chapter Four: Soul Cleansing**_

To the outside world Sesshomaru's pack would not be seen for two weeks except for the brief few hours that Sesshomaru went to see Totosai and run his errands. To the packs perception they would be in the utopia for nearly a year. However, once they were back in the normal flow of time they began to travel again, the miko and demon lord looking for jewel shards and continuing their courtship.

Kagome visited her family a few times, letting her mother know about her courtship with Sesshomaru during her first visit back. She had not been happy about that considering it had only been a few weeks to her, but after Kagome showed her mother her courting mark and explained that they had been in a place where almost a year had passed for them she felt considerably better. Still not happy that she would not be able to meet the demon lord before anything happened, but still better then she had when Kagome first mentioned her courtship. She and Shippo had also made sure to visit Keade. During their first visit they learned how their former pack reacted to their disappearance and what Inuyasha had revealed.

**-/-/-/-sc-/-/-/-**

_The duo could tell when they first stepped into the hut that the elder priestess was surprised at their new looks. Shippo was a little taller then he used to be. Still small enough for Kagome to carry, but too big to ride on her shoulder. He wore white hakama, a teal haori with white leaves scattered on it with a white under haori, and his fur vest. His tail was still visible but he no longer had fox paws for feet. He could now control his youki enough to transform them into humanoid feet and now wore little black boots. Even his red hair was a little longer, stretching to his neck from his high ponytail tied with a teal ribbon instead of a bow._

_Kagome had grown a little taller as well but it wasn't noticeable unless you were paying attention or had not seen her in a long time. She wore cream colored hakama and a short kimono with a blue flower petal design flowing along the fabric, a blue and black obi securing it closed, and black boots on her feet with her thick hair raining much longer down her back._

"_The two of ye look very well. I am glad ye both are doing well since last I saw ye." Keade said kindly as she continued to gaze at them. She couldn't help noticing how happy and content they looked._

_They thanked her as they settled down and made themselves comfortable._

"_So have you seen the others? Do you know how they took our disappearance?" Kagome asked as she subtly checked to make sure her clothing was settled in place, remembering the etiquette scrolls she had studied._

_The old priestess informed Kagome that the Inu half demon tried to make it sound like they had one of their usual arguments and she left, taking Shippo with her, but Sango and Miroku told the full truth of what happened along with the fact that they stood by and did nothing because they were used to seeing such things in relationships. They felt it just wasn't their place to interfere._

"_When I asked Inuyasha why he had hit ye, he answered that ye made him angry and he did not like the wolf demon touching ye and verbally claiming ye. He also did not approve of the fact that ye did not try to stop him from making such a claim." Keade explained._

"_When I asked him why he cared since I believed he had chosen my sister, he replied that he wanted the both of ye, and because ye knew he would go off to see Kikyou he took that as acceptance and that ye loved him so much ye were willing to share him." She concluded and watched the young priestess close her eyes and shake her head._

"_After listening to their excuses and reasons I decided to keep my silence about seeing the two of ye." Keade stated before informing them that Inuyasha was unable to travel through the well, and that Miroku was unable to find anything that would bar him. Their theory was that she might be dead, but they didn't want to think such, and the fact that Kikyou said nothing about having all her soul made them feel better about her possibly being alive._

**-/-/-/-sc-/-/-/-**

Kagome sighed as she remembered. She was surprised at Inuyasha's reaction and words but at the same time she wasn't. She couldn't believe that he would hit her because of Kouga's actions and words, or her inability to stop Kouga from making claims on her. She had told him 'no' numerous times. What did Inuyasha want?! Did he want her to try and purify him? Was that his idea of putting a stop to Kouga?

Well she was not willing to hurt him or kill him to stop him. He had not hurt her, or tried to force his claim on her, so she did not deem violence the answer.

As for Sango and Miroku she was happy that they told the truth, but she was disappointed with the excuses they gave. She had actually seen the both of them react more to random villagers they had come across that were being abused then they did when Inuyasha hit her. And she didn't understand how they thought it wasn't their place to step in and help her or stop Inuyasha. As much pain as it had caused her she had never deluded herself into thinking they were in a relationship, and if she knew it then Sango and Miroku should have known it as well with how long they had been around them.

Kagome sighed and switched her thoughts to the progress of her courtship with Sesshomaru. The development of her feelings, getting to know each other, and the attraction that they both felt that had gradually intensified over their stay in the utopia.

She came to understand that her mate-to-be was a quiet, controlled, and highly dangerous demon. She had realized since she began travelling with him that he was more powerful then he let on, and that if he had really wanted Inuyasha dead then he would be dead despite Inuyasha's few successes in catching him by surprise. And beneath the cold exterior he presented to the world he was very passionate and affectionate.

No one could see it because he didn't speak often enough and he didn't show it, but when he did choose to display it, it was a thing of beauty. She had enjoyed passionate kisses and sensual touches the likes of which she had only read in romance novels. She had affection bestowed upon her on a daily bases in one form or another. A hug here, a nuzzle there, cuddling during the night, a simple kiss here or there, a lick of her courting mark. All things she learned were specific behavior of dog demons with their chosen intended or mate.

She now found herself feeling love for both the Inu brothers. She had in fact fallen in love with the demon lord. Her genuine love for Sesshomaru was intense and strong whereas her love for Inuyasha was just as intense but reluctant and persistent.

Kagome couldn't help comparing the two brothers with the way her feelings were and noticing the many differences.

The first thing that came to mind was their looks. They had similar coloring with their hair and eyes but where Inuyasha's hair was thick and white and his eyes were wide and amber, Sesshomaru's hair was silky and straight and the color of moonlight while his eyes were narrow and golden. They dressed in hakama and haori but where Inuyasha's look was neat yet wild, Sesshomaru's clothing were neat and clean.

The next thing to come to mind was their level of maturity. One was mature and the other was immature. Inuyasha was wild, didn't know what he wanted, and was never happy with what he had. He was almost like a child. Sesshomaru on the other hand was an adult plain and simple. He was calm, collected, and knew what he wanted.

How the brothers treated her was a major difference to her. One treated her as if she was his maid and wife in one, and the other treated her with respect and consideration. Inuyasha always wanted her to do everything for him when he wanted it and how he wanted it. Always yelling at her to get his point across and ordering her around. Sesshomaru treated her like a person, like he would want to be treated. He didn't yell at her or raise his voice at all. He didn't wake her with his foot as if he was afraid she was diseased. He either let her sleep or he shook her awake, and she didn't have to argue with him to study or to visit her family.

Then there was how each Inu male treated others, those around them. Sesshomaru took care of all the needs of his pack and made sure they were all healthy and content, while Inuyasha only hunted when there wasn't an easy source for them to get food and ran his pack ragged. Any other required needs they had to handle themselves or do without.

This brought Kagome into the differences of their morals. Sesshomaru was all about honor. She had known he was an honorable demon long before he expressed his wish to court her, even when she had thought he was a cold heartless being she still knew that he was honest. Inuyasha, however, was one who seemed to have no problem misleading everyone. She had learned that the hard way. His going back and forth between her and Kikyou, saying one thing to her and doing another when he thought she wasn't around or wouldn't know, and promising to protect her then turning around and hurting her.

Their fighting ability was another major difference between the half-brothers. She had known that their levels were different but it wasn't until after she had the chance to see Sesshomaru fight and even to train with him that she realized how _much_ and _why_ he was the better fighter. Inuyasha always relied on the Tetsusiaga since he got it and nothing else. He occasionally used his blades of blood but only when he was injured enough to draw a lot of blood, and when all else failed he used his claws. Always jumping in wildly, without thought, and without a plan. Sesshomaru used different abilities and weapons for different situations and foes. He was always thinking, strategizing and entering fights with a ready plan.

And though she would never say so to others she noticed the difference in their intelligence. Sesshomaru was highly educated and made it his business to learn more, which was something she enjoyed very much. Inuyasha…was not highly educated. That was not all his fault but she knew he made no effort to change that. Either way when it came to having meaningful conversations the elder brother was definitely loads better.

Still, even though she loved them both she was reminded every time she looked at the demon lord or thought of him or when he showed her affection, that she was _in love_ with him when her heart started racing and a happy smile slipped onto her lips.

With those thoughts in mind she turned to her mate-to-be.

"When will we mate?" Kagome asked curiously, being direct with her question as she knew he liked.

"We cannot mate until your soul is complete and you are free of the taint, until your soul is free of the half-breed." Sesshomaru answered. "However, I will explain what will occur so you will be prepared." He added, not wanting her to be confused when the time came.

"The bond we will create will involve sharing our memories with each other, which will only help us know and understand each other better even with all we know of each other at this point." He stated quietly as he wondered how she felt about that fact. He himself didn't have a problem with sharing his memories with Kagome. He chose her and knew she could handle what she saw, and they would be together forever so it would only be a good thing. Not to mention the experience would mean less talking for him.

"You will gain markings similar to my own. That is something that only occurs when one mate does not have any. You will also share my lifespan, which means immortality as long as we do not get ourselves killed. That fact is a secret of the family, which only I and my mother know. It only works for full demons of my family so it would not apply to the half-breed." He explained as he watched her eyes widen at his words.

"During the mating I will inject you with my youki and poison. This will begin the process of what I mentioned previously as well as make it so you will no longer be harmed by my poison." He concluded as he continued to watch her, taking in her numerous expressions.

Kagome sighed as she considered all she had just learned about her upcoming mating. She didn't mind sharing her memories for the most part. It would help Sesshomaru understand her better, to learn what type of environment and society she grew up in and how it had influenced her.

He would see how Inuyasha had treated her since she met him. She wasn't sure how she felt about that. On one hand she thought it would be good for him to understand in case some problems came up in their relationship. Then he would know where it possibly came from and why she reacted the way she did. On the other hand she wasn't sure she was comfortable with him seeing her treatment, seeing what she had willingly put up with. Just the thought of it was embarrassing and humiliating.

As for the markings she knew she wouldn't mind gaining marking like his since she had always found those fascinating on demons.

The lifespan was something Kagome wasn't sure what she felt about. She was happy that she would live to see her family again but she would outlive them. Her mother and grandfather she knew she would have most likely outlived anyway. Her brother was younger and may have outlived her. He would continue to age while she continued to look young, and what if he got married and had a family? Would they know of her or would she have to stay away from them? Only seeing her brother in secret or keeping in contact by phone, letters, and email?

Kagome shelved those thoughts and moved on to the last fact Sesshomaru had given her. Knowing he would be injecting his poison into her was a scary thought, especially since she remembered her last up close call with his poison acid. The only thing that had saved her was the Tetsusiaga that time. This time she wondered what was to stop her from being melted from the inside out. Not to mention she wasn't looking forward to how being injected with his poison would feel. She could only imagine how painful it would be.

She was just glad she would have time to think about it, and prepare her mind if nothing else.

**~o~o~o~o~**

Sesshomaru stood gazing around the perfect area he had chosen for his mating as he erected a barrier around it. The barrier would protect them while they were vulnerable viewing each other's memories, because they would occur while they were asleep, like dreams, over a period of time. He also wanted it to be safe and ready when he brought her there, so he would be sure to come back before their mating to leave supplies they would need.

When he was satisfied with the barrier he left to return to his pack, but on his way he picked up the scent of graveyard soil, clay and bones. The dead priestess was in the area and he immediately changed direction to head toward that abomination.

He thought this was a very good happenstance since his miko would have no idea what was happening until it was done. She didn't want to know when he would kill the dead woman unless the older priestess happened to show herself to them. Then if that had happened she wouldn't have minded if he took the opportunity but cautioned him that he would have to finish her off quickly, because she would feel compelled to protect the dead woman. Otherwise, if she didn't know then she couldn't try and protect the clay construct. The only thing his miko asked was to gather the remains to be returned to the elder priestess back in the village of Edo.

Once the dead woman was in view Sesshomaru approached her silently. She didn't know he was there until his green poison whip flashed out, killing her soul collectors. He did not want the creatures to help her get away. He watched with cold eyes as she quickly notched an arrow in her bow and pointed at him.

"What do you want demon?" He heard her ask, hearing the slight nervousness in her tone.

"I am here to free what does not belong to you." He deigned to answer before he silently lifted his right hand, the tips of his clawed fingers glowing.

She narrowed her eyes and fired her arrow at him but he dodged it easily with his natural swiftness, and especially after months of practice dodging his miko's quick solid purity arrows, and flicked his wrist- sending his whip sailing to circle around her cold body. He tightened it and pulled, watching as her body crumbled and fell to pieces, releasing all the stolen souls within her.

Sesshomaru watched one soul remain, after the others floated up into the sky, then speed off in the direction of his miko. He gathered the now very dead priestess' remains and rushed back in his orb form to his mate-to-be in case there were issues with the return of her soul that she needed help handling.

He arrived, appearing out of his orb, to see his miko on her knees, her arms wrapped around herself, glowing and gasping for breath. The other members of his pack looking confused.

**~o~o~o~o~**

Kagome sat quietly talking to Rin about different types of herbal methods to ease pain when a ball of light appeared out of nowhere and slammed into her, knocking her flat on her back.

She could hear Rin and Shippo calling out to her but she could not answer. She was too disoriented and confused by the jumble of random memories flooding her mind. She managed to roll to her knees but that was as far as she got as she tried to make sense of the images flashing before her closed eyes.

She could make out images of Keade, Inuyasha, Naraku, soul collectors, and Sesshomaru- who was clearer then all the rest, and she suddenly understood what was happening to her. The rest of her soul had returned to her.

The images started to slow and she began to understand what she had seen. Kikyou had done some good since she had been brought back to her half-life, but she had done bad things as well and the good did not outweigh them either. Some things Kagome had guessed at about the now completely dead woman had been confirmed, while other things she had not known about and couldn't understand why the woman had even done them.

The memories confirmed that Kikyou really had wanted to take Inuyasha to hell. She had stopped mentioning it every time she saw their group but it was now clear that the desire had still been as strong as when she was first brought back, even with the knowledge that he was not at fault for her death.

It also turned out that she had wanted Kagome dead. Kikyou wanted her out of the way when it came to Inuyasha and taking him to hell, and she wanted the rest of her soul if only to take it all to hell when she dragged Inuyasha with her. Kagome thought it was ironic. It was Kikyou's wish on the jewel to be with Inuyasha in her next life that had Kagome in the way in the first place, and she had been trying to end that life and take him to hell.

If that was not bad enough Kikyou had also been working with Naraku, and through the memories it was easy to tell that she had not been doing it to eventually lead to the spider half demons end.

Aside from those facts there were other memories that popped out at her. Conversations with Keade where she got advice from her sister or tried to get information about Kagome, conversations and moments with Inuyasha, and studying the bones eater well and trying to figure out how it worked.

Soon the memories began to fade and disappear, but not her knowledge of them or the conclusions she had come to. She imagined it was similar to how people with amnesia felt. They didn't remember doing something but then they were shown videos of them doing it before they had forgot. The knowledge was now there but they still didn't remember actually doing it. The difference for her was that she wasn't supposed to remember them as if they were her memories because they weren't.

Sesshomaru moved to kneel in front of his miko and watched as the glow around her began to fade after a few minutes, and speculated that it indicated her soul had finished settling.

"Are you well?" He asked when she opened her eyes.

"I'm fine. It was just disorienting and confusing at first. I didn't expect to see Kikyou's memories when I got the rest of my soul back." Kagome answered.

Sesshomaru's eyes widened slightly and he couldn't help wondering what she had seen; what the now completely dead priestess had been up to.

"They were flashing so fast at first that all I saw was images of people," She said as they sat down and made themselves comfortable. "but then they began to slow and I could see and understand. Kikyou still wanted to drag Inuyasha to hell even though she had stopped mentioning it, and she wanted me dead so that she could have the rest of my soul and I wouldn't be around to interfere with what she wanted to do with him." She explained.

"But that's not all. Turns out she was working with Naraku. I saw her meeting with him, giving him jewel shards, watching him kill villagers and taking their souls for herself. She did things with him that I _really_ wish I hadn't seen." She continued with a shiver.

"At the end though the memories began to fade and they've disappeared now." She finished.

"The memories have most likely been locked away in your soul where they are supposed to be. After all, you did not remember anything of her life before. That should not change now that your soul is complete." Sesshomaru stated.

Kagome nodded and thought that was reasonable as well as a good thing since there were many things she did not _want_ to remember. She then turned her thoughts to how she could now purify her soul and be free of her unwanted feelings for Inuyasha, but first she needed to relearn her control since the rest of her soul had given her the rest of her powers and thrown her control off slightly. It wasn't by much but it was enough to make controlling her powers for precise instances difficult.

After reassuring the children that she was okay, and explaining to them what happened, the rest of the evening went on as normal with Kagome taking some time before bed to meditate and manipulate her reiki. They stayed at their current camp for a few days so she could focus on controlling her reiki and Sesshomaru could help her and provide silent support.

When Kagome was sure of her control Sesshomaru allowed his pack to begin traveling again. She decided, after all the time she had to consider, to take her grandfather's advice on how to purify her soul, so she and her demon lord were currently searching for the right setting for her.

After speaking to a young monk in a village they were passing Kagome learned of a temple that had a holy body of water that the priestess' used to purify themselves daily. They were informed that there was a barrier that allowed only those with holy powers to pass safely so only she would be able to cross through it. Kagome thanked the monk after he kindly gave her the location and Sesshomaru lead their pack there. They camped out in a secure location that was close to the area of the holy temple, but far enough from the barrier that those inside would not feel threatened.

The next day Sesshomaru escorted Kagome to the barrier. He wrapped his arms around her, careful of his armor, and nibbled and nuzzled at the courting mark on her neck before nuzzling her cheek.

"I will wait here until you come back." He informed her quietly.

Kagome nodded as she returned his affectionate gestures, stretching on her toes to reach his neck and cheek, then walked pass the barrier carrying only her weapons. She calmly stepped down the path before coming to a long set of stairs and yet another path, then one more set of stairs before she reached a large building.

She stepped through the open door and was approached by a passing priestess. She explained that she had learned of the temple's location from a monk when she had enquired about large bodies of pure water. She was told that there was one such pooling of water at that location, and she wondered if it was possible if she could use it. She was informed that she would have to speak to the priestess in charge and was quickly taken to the woman.

After speaking to the head priestess and explaining the basics of her situation Kagome was taken to the holy body of water and given a pure white yukata to wear in the water. The pool of water was crystal clear, as deep as a hot spring, and as wide as a large pond with a small waterfall off to the side.

Once Kagome changed and placed her clothing and weapons off to the side, she lowered herself into the cool yet warm water, dunking her head so she was completely covered before resurfacing and settling on a rock that left her submerged to her shoulders.

She closed her eyes and began to meditate, releasing the barrier she had masking her power, letting the warm blue light flow around her and course through her for hours, lighting up her body and the area in a bright glow. All the while she could sense Sesshomaru and she knew that he had released some of his aura to let her know that he was close, and to provide moral support which she greatly appreciated.

When Kagome felt she was ready she sank deep within herself, traveling to where the representation of her soul resided. She then guided her reiki to the depiction and carefully surrounded it before slowly flooding it with her purity as she meditated on what she was trying to accomplish.

She could not see the taint in her soul but she could feel the emotions she felt for Inuyasha. She knew her soul was cleansed and free when the feelings she had for him abruptly disappeared. Still, she kept it up for a little while longer just to be sure, then she came back to herself, opening her eyes as she masked her power once again before getting out of the water.

Kagome tiredly dried off and dressed herself, then replaced her weapons before heading inside the main temple building.

"Thank you so much for allowing me to use the pure water." She said wearily once she found the priestess in charge.

"We are glad we could help you." The head priestess said sincerely. "Will you not rest here?" She asked respectfully, having felt the immensity of her aura and seeing that night had fallen.

"Oh, no thank you. I need to get going." Kagome said. She wanted to return to Sesshomaru and sleep surrounded by her pack.

"But it is dangerous to travel at night and you are already weakened." The head priestess said worriedly, hoping that would get her to stay.

"Someone is waiting for me just outside the barrier, so I'll be perfectly safe." She said firmly but kindly. She was not about to let this woman talk to her into staying when she knew her mate-to-be was waiting. He had told her he would be, and she could still feel his aura reaching out to her.

"I must go but thank you again. I cannot tell you how much I appreciated that you allowed me to use the water." She continued with a smile, once again thanking the woman. "Goodbye and have a good night." She added and walked out of the building.

Kagome slowly made her way back to Sesshomaru who gathered her gently into his arms when she reached him and began carrying her tired body back to their pack.

She was relaxed and fast asleep within moments.

**~o~o~o~o~**

Kagome and Sesshomaru had decided it was best to find Kouga and get his jewel shards when Totosai showed up on his dark brown three eyed bull. Kagome was very surprised when she realized he was there for her.

"What do you mean you're here for me?" She asked with wide eyes.

"Sesshomaru-sama commissioned an order for you a few weeks ago using his fangs." Totosai stated as he carefully removed a package from his back and handed it to her. "I am proud to say it is my best work to date." He said as he watched her open the package.

Kagome gently placed the package on the ground as she knelt and untied the cloth. She gasped at the sight of three weapons gleaming at her. Twin long daggers with black diamond pattern hilts, their silver blades shinning at her in the sunlight.

_They're wonderful._ She thought as she picked them up and swirled them slightly. She set them down and picked up the last weapon. A black diamond pattern hilt that matched the daggers nearly blended into the black sheath. She unsheathed the sword and was greeted by a katana with a navy blue blade. _Beautiful._ She thought on a whisper as she held the sword the way Sesshomaru had taught her, had drilled into her mind so it was an unconscious action.

"When you wish all you have to do is channel your powers into the blade with the specific intent, and it will split into twin wakizashi blades." Totosai explained and breathed a quiet sigh of relief when he saw the demon lords narrowed eyes relax. He had not forgotten that twin swords had been requested, and knew that he would have been in danger of losing his life had he not said something.

"Thank you. Thank you both so much." Kagome said to Sesshomaru and Totosai. "They are so beautiful and I am so happy to have them." She exclaimed as she removed the practice weapons she carried and placed the blades in her obi. One dagger on her right side and the other dagger and katana on her left.

"The sword is powerful Kagome." Totosai said seriously. "You should practice with it to learn what it can do soon." He stressed to her, but looked to both her and Sesshomaru.

As their pack traveled Kagome took Totosai's advice to heart and practiced with her new weapons, and in the process they learned that her katana had power over time. During their search for Kouga she learned that one of her swords powers was to stop time around an opponent.

**-/-/-/-sc-/-/-/-**

_It was a nice afternoon that found Sesshomaru and Kagome sparing so she could get used to using her powers with her blade, when the katana began to glow in mid swing and a gentle pulse was released from the blade._

_Kagome looked to Sesshomaru to ask him what happened only to find him frozen in his position. He stood like a statue of a beautiful warrior, his sword held in front of him in a defensive position, his feet spread just so. Her jaw dropped and she looked at the sword in her hand in amazement before she realized that she had no idea how to undo it or if it could be undone._

What do I do? _She asked herself as she walked up to his paused form. _Perhaps my powers can do something. _She considered worriedly as she looked into his frozen golden eyes. She placed a hand on his warm striped cheek and let her reiki gently flow through her hand, focusing on healing and hoping her attempt would work._

_Luckily for them it did. She watched as he slowly blinked and then widened his eyes as he realized she was standing literally right in front of him, touching him and he hadn't any idea how or when she did it._

**-/-/-/-sc-/-/-/-**

After that Sesshomaru insisted on her mastering that ability, but Kagome could tell that he was impressed and proud that such a power had come from his fang. She decided after that display to name her sword _Tōji no aoi Kiba_ for its color and ability.

Meanwhile, they searched for Kouga in a logical manner, by his aura as well as by the jewel shards he possessed. When they finally found him he wasted no time showing how happy he was to see Kagome.

"Kagome!" Kouga exclaimed happily as he spotted her and moved to stand in front of her. He claimed her hands in his own and smiled charmingly. "How's my beautiful woman?" He asked before plowing ahead without waiting for an answer. "Have you finally left dog-breath to be with me?"

"I'm fine Kouga, and no I haven't left Inuyasha to be with you." Kagome said as she extracted her hands from his. "I've told you before that I am not your woman, and that fact has not changed." She said firmly from her spot standing next to her demon lord.

"Aw, you don't mean that. You deserve so much better then dog-breath. Why don't you let me take care of you?" He asked single-mindedly as Sesshomaru stood there, silently deciding it was time to rip the blinders off the wolf.

"You are a very unobservant cub are you not?" Sesshomaru stated, his cold voice full of disdain. He did not appreciate the young wolf ignoring his presence, and he had no intention of allowing the wolfs unwanted claims to continue. He would not put up with such foolishness.

"The Western Lord." Kouga said as he blinked in surprise, startled that he had been there the whole time. "What are you doing with him?!" He asked his woman in concern and jealousy.

"I am traveling with him now, but more importantly he is courting me." Kagome said clearly, looking him in the eye so he knew she was serious.

"Courting?! _Him_?! The human hater?!" Kouga said in shock and disbelief.

Kagome frowned but kept her silence. She knew better but it was not her place to go around correcting everyone's perception of Sesshomaru's reputation. He had only told her because she meant something to him, and he wasn't about to go around trying to change anyone's opinions because he didn't care what people thought of him.

"Kagome." Sesshomaru said and when she looked at him he shifted his eyes to her neck and back up to her face.

Kagome nodded, understanding instantly what he wanted without him having to ask. She pulled at the collar of her kimono, showing the mark on the left side of her neck as she let down the barriers that masked her scent and aura.

Kouga's eyes widened as they zeroed in on the outline of a crescent moon on Kagome's neck, then pinched in poorly disguised resignation as he caught the demon lord's scent and sensed a little of what was clearly his power coming from her.

"I understand." He said with a disappointed sigh. "I hope your courtship is successful and full of ardor." He added, clearly giving up at the proof of her involvement with the powerful lord.

"Just like that?! Why didn't you listen _long_ before now?" She asked in disbelief. She didn't want him to change his mind but she was completely bewildered at how easily he gave up when he hadn't done so with all her protests before.

"Because despite dog-breaths possessiveness he never gave you a courting mark so I never had a reason to give up." He said with a shrug. "I always hoped you would eventually see that he wasn't good enough for you and give me a chance." He confessed dejectedly.

"I'm sorry Kouga. But it wasn't just because of Inuyasha. I just didn't see you that way." She said quietly.

"I understand." He responded quietly with a nod, glad that his pack hadn't caught up to him yet to witness his rejection.

"Okay." Kagome said with a light sigh as she belatedly reset the barriers to mask her scent and aura. "Well, we're here for the jewel shards. I wanted to get them now rather than waiting until all the rest of the shards are found." She said, purposely leaving out the fact that they suspected there were no more shards and that Naraku would most likely be after them.

Kouga nodded and bent to pull the shards from his legs. He would miss the power they gave him but he always knew he wouldn't be able to keep them, so he handed them to Kagome and watched them turn a pure pink as soon as they touched her skin.

With that out of the way she bid Kouga goodbye and they sent the children, Jaken, and Ah-Un to Sesshomaru's palace since they knew it would be dangerous for the children when they met Naraku, which was something they were sure would happen soon.

**~o~o~o~o~**

After discussing the pros and cons they decided to go to Naraku and face him. Sesshomaru tracked him to a human castle he had been using. He had begun to let his scent leak out so they were sure he wanted them to come to him. Something that was confirmed when they found not only Naraku but Kagura and Kanna waiting for them.

They were not worried since they had discussed different plans and strategies but they were appropriately cautious given who they were facing. While Sesshomaru was battling Naraku and keeping him busy Kagome was dealing with Kanna with some interference from Kagura. She knew that Kagura wanted to be free of Naraku's control, but he still had her heart so she had to do as she was told.

Considering that, Kagome was going to view her as the enemy in light of the fact that she knew the woman could get dangerous when Naraku threatened her life or caused her extreme pain. The wind demon threw wind blades at her with a reluctant expression, but Kagome was ready and had a barrier up to block the attacks as she focused on the void child.

She walked closer to Kanna and stretched her arm, thin wires of her reiki shot out of her hand wrapping around the soul sucking mirror. She yanked it from the child's hold before she could try to use it and into her hands. She grabbed one of her long daggers as she set the mirror face down on the ground, and infused her dagger with her power before stabbing it.

Kagome watched the child herself shatter like glass and the pieces crumble to the ground and turn to dust. She replaced her dagger before pulling her katana and turning to Sesshomaru's fight with Naraku. She realized quickly that her demon lord had succeeded in keeping Naraku distracted, to the point that he had not even realized that one of his creations had been destroyed, and she moved to capitalize on that fact.

She manipulated the protective barrier she had around herself to silence all sounds she could possibly make, and moved swiftly yet subtly toward the battle. When she deemed herself close enough she channeled her reiki into her blade and swung it in a move she had practiced extensively with Sesshomaru over the past few days.

The now familiar gentle pulse flared from the blue katana, stopping time around him, and freezing Naraku in surprise. She then used the opportunity to use her reiki to find the link to his heart. Once she found it she used the link to purify his heart, then looked to her mate-to-be and nodded the all clear that the spider could be killed.

Sesshomaru instantly brought up Bakusaiga, the blade glowing green as he channeled his youki into it, and swung it at the frozen spider half demon. A massive wave of youki that resembled green miasma crashed into the half demon, washing over him and dissolving his body completely within moments.

As he sheathed his sword Sesshomaru watched his miko retrieve the chunk of jewel that Naraku held and purify it. He kept his eyes on her as she proceeded to fuse it together with the shards she had, but he kept his senses on Kagura as she landed off her feather and moved closer to them.

"Are you going to kill me now?" Kagura asked the handsome demon lord. She didn't think he would but she wanted to be sure.

"No. You have the freedom you desired. Take it and go." Sesshomaru answered without removing his eyes from his miko as she began to make her way back to him.

"What if I do not wish to go? What if I wished to stay by your side?" She asked softly as she moved a little closer to him, sure he understand the affection in her voice.

"Then you wish in vein." He said bluntly, finally looking to her now that his miko was close. "I am courting the miko and she will soon be my mate. Take your freedom and go live your life."

Kagura narrowed her eyes at his words. She had not known that he was unavailable even if she had known that he had no interest in her. He had told her outright when he understood how she felt, but she had hoped to change his mind. She had always thought that if she lived she could stay with him or in the area he was in and show him that she was the best female for him. She definitely hadn't expected him to turn up with an intended, and a human at that- a priestess no less.

She turned angry eyes on the miko who was standing comfortably near the demon lord. That human had taken what was hers, and she wasn't going to stand for it. She was taking it back. She opened her fan and moved to attack.

Kagome was ready. She had been watching and listening and assumed by the wind demons angry and jealous expressions that such might happen. She put up a barrier against numerous full powered wind blades, and considered how she wanted to deal with Kagura since she knew that it was her responsibility, just as dealing with the males after her was Sesshomaru's.

She remembered the scrolls she had studied on demons and knew that she could not be forgiving in this situation. The nature of demons, female demons in particular, was that if you showed mercy in such a situation then the demon was very likely to come back for another attempt, hoping it would help pave the way for them to get what they wanted.

Kagura obviously wanted Sesshomaru, and by the words she had spoken and the way she was acting she had wanted him for a long time, which meant she was likely to keep making attempts on her life in the hopes that with her out of the way Sesshomaru would be willing to take her.

_For as badly as Kagura wants Sesshomaru she clearly doesn't know him if she thinks something like that would ever happen._ Kagome thought as she eyed the angry wind witch. She was not going to let this demoness have her way. Before, Kagome would have been willing to think that Kagura was only acting on her feelings and would have stopped when she cooled off, but after studying the scrolls that Sesshomaru had given her and having many night time discussions with him she understood that it was not the case. When a demon was angry and attacking you with deadly intent then they really wanted you dead. There was no cooling off. If they didn't want you dead then they wouldn't attack in such a way.

Kagome stretched her right arm, holding her hand out with her palm forward, and watched Kagura tighten her hold on her fan. She had clearly seen what happened to Kanna and was trying to prepare. Kagome sprayed her with senbon needles created from her reiki, surprising and distracting the wind demoness as she tried to deflect or avoid the thin projectiles. Then she launched a short arrow, hitting Kagura in the chest and sealing her in a paralyzed state.

She watched Kagura crumble to the ground, landing on her back in a boneless heap. She then found and followed the link to her heart as she had with Naraku, and purified it since she knew that the wind demon wouldn't die if her body was destroyed unless her heart was destroyed as well.

She walked over, keeping her protective barrier up, and knelt next to Kagura with a disappointed look in her eyes. She had thought Kagura would be able to live freely if she survived until Naraku was defeated, and she was unhappy with what she had to do. She did not want to kill her but she would to keep herself safe; to keep her from coming after her again.

Kagome lightly placed her hand on Kagura and let her powers flow out and into her body, purifying her over a matter of seconds. She watched the dust settle on the ground before being carried on a breeze. She sighed and looked to Sesshomaru as she got to her feet.

Sesshomaru returned her look as he considered their next move. With Kagome's soul complete and cleansed of the tainted wish, Naraku destroyed, and the jewel in its protectors possession- he thought it was time to finally make Kagome his mate.

He gathered Kagome to him, wrapping his arms around her, careful of his armor, and lifted off on his youki cloud. They traveled through the sky for nearly an hour before reaching their destination. Sesshomaru set down in a small clearing and led his miko to where his barrier was already set up since he knew the mating process would take time to complete. In his opinion he had picked a romantic place in the wilds with cherry blossom trees, a hot spring, and furs to make it as comfortable as possible. He could have taken her to his palace where she would have been more comfortable with silks and furs touching her skin, but he wanted complete privacy and no interruptions. Still, he had made sure to make the area inside his barrier as comfortable as possible.

After they passed through Sesshomaru's barrier Kagome was surprised and awed at the setup. She had wondered where he was taking her, especially when she sensed his power and realized it was a barrier when they came to it. Feeling the warm air as they passed the barrier, seeing the beautiful cherry blossom trees, the blossoms surrounding the hot spring and in the bubbling water, the setup of furs off to the side, and the circle of stones and a small pile of wood next to it off to another side that was clearly for a fire was amazing.

It was beautiful and romantic, and she blushed as she suddenly realized why it was setup and why they were there. She glanced to Sesshomaru and the look in his eyes confirmed her thoughts and she blushed even more, but smiled at what he had done and the effort that had gone into it. It was obvious that he had picked this particular area, brought the furs, and set up the area for the fire and the barrier all in preparation for their mating.

"Relax my little miko. Make yourself comfortable." Sesshomaru said as he placed his hand on her lower back. "I will be back. You will be safe here. Nothing can get through my barrier accept the two of us." He assured her before he left.

Kagome watched him disappear into the trees and then did as he said. She removed her weapons, outer kimono and boots, and settled on the bed of furs as she gazed up at the cherry blossoms and tried not to think about the fact that Sesshomaru would be injecting his poison into her at some point that night.

Sesshomaru was back in minutes and baring fruits to snack on which his miko seemed to be grateful for. He put some on the furs next to her and the rest off to the side out of the way then took off his armor, weapons and boots, and joined her on the furs.

They talked about what happened with Kagura as she snacked on pieces of fruit since it had upset her. That the wind demon had practically thrown her life away, her well-earned freedom, to try and kill her had baffled her so much.

"It was not unexpected." Sesshomaru stated simply. "I knew that she held affection for me. However, I told her when I first learned of this that I was not interested in her, and that fact would not change with time. Not only was she a created being from Naraku, but her personality was not one I was willing to deal with forever. There was also the fact that she did not even know me. Her feelings stemmed from my power, appearance, and perhaps even my confidence."

Kagome nodded her understanding and wondered if Kagura had seen Sesshomaru as her 'knight in shining armor'. Someone who was strong and handsome that could save her from her desperate situation with Naraku. Perhaps even someone who didn't listen to the opinions of others, and who she thought wouldn't care about the fact that she was a created being, and created from Naraku no less.

"Such an instance is very likely to happen again, even after our mating, simply because people will be angry with my choice or that I have chosen someone other than them." Sesshomaru said, wanting that fact to be clear to her.

"I understand, and I'll be ready to deal with them." Kagome said firmly. She had no problem fighting for her place at his side just like she did with Kagura no matter how it made her feel. He was hers and she wouldn't give him up to some unfeeling demoness who only wanted him for his power, title, and wealth.

As night began to fall and it got darker out Sesshomaru got up and made a fire in the area he had prepared. Once it was going strong he turned to Kagome and looked her in the eyes as he began to pull off his haori. He decided it was time to make her his mate. He was done waiting.

He dropped his haori and under haori to the ground and returned to the furs with his miko. He untied her inner kimono with sure fingers and pushed it off her shoulders as she sat quietly, a blush painting her face as she gazed at him and watched his movements. He brought up a hand and traced a single claw down between her breasts, slicing her bra open as he savored the feel of her warm skin. He watched her take the ruined bra off and toss it and her inner kimono aside before looking back at him shyly. He leaned in and nuzzled her cheek and neck as his left arm wrapped around her waist.

"Let me smell you." He stated, making it sound like a question, and she dropped her barrier seemingly without a thought, releasing her scent.

Sesshomaru breathed her scent in deeply before licking her courting mark as his hand moved lazily over her skin.

"Mine." He whispered into her skin, the sound drifting to her ear. "Mine. Now and forever." He decided to add to make sure she knew who she belonged to before leaning further into her, bringing their chests together, and gently forcing her back before claiming her lips in a hungry kiss.

Kagome was completely speechless at the sight of Sesshomaru baring his upper body to her. She had never seen it before and she wondered if that was by design just so he could get the reaction he was from her at this moment seeing as how they had spent nearly a year together.

He looked absolutely glorious. Broad shoulders and thick long arms, smooth muscles just the right size for his body that she knew didn't express his full physical strength, pale skin that made his magenta strips stand out. When he moved closer he looked even better and she just wanted to run her hands over his chest and trace her fingers along his strips, but she was frozen in place, immobilized by his beauty.

She didn't know if she should be embarrassed at herself or irritated but as he settled next to her and began confidently undoing her kimono, she decided that it didn't matter and to just enjoy herself. Even when it was her turn to be topless before him. She would admit to being self-conscious but it definitely helped to see some red begin to bleed into his eyes before he moved to nuzzle her.

Kagome shivered in pleasure at his words. When she first fell down the well such possessive words would have angered her, being the modern female she was, but now she understood the meaning behind the words in reference to demons. She understood that it was about more then just being a possession. It was about being something precious to them; something to be admired, treasured, craved, and for Sesshomaru who was so strong, so intense, so keen on his instincts, it meant even more. She knew she was the most precious person or thing in his life, so much so that he wanted to make her his mate. He wanted her to be the one constant in his life, and since learning that meant literally forever she was appreciative and awed and felt cherished.

Her arms automatically slipped over his shoulders and around his neck as he kissed her. The feel of his lips instantly mobilizing her at the familiarity of his lips against hers. The warmth of the skin of his chest and the hardness and weight against hers was so intoxicating yet comforting. The feel of his clawed hand moving up her side and over her breast, the feel of his claws gently pricking her flesh brought a soft moan from her throat as she stretched her body to try and prolong the feeling.

Sesshomaru purred at the soft sound from his miko and the feel of her soft breast in his hand. He molded the mound of flesh, loving the softness and sounds it brought from his Kagome. He enjoyed the steady rise of heat in her skin and feel of her warm tongue moving against his. Not to mention her taste! He had come to anticipate any chance to enjoy her taste, and now he could taste more then the cavern of her mouth or the plane of her neck.

He broke away from the kiss and slid his mouth across her cheek and down to her neck to suckle and lick at the warm skin, moving his body to cover hers at the same time. Once he had tasted both sides of her neck, paying particular attention to her courting mark, he moved down to lavish her breasts with his attention. His long tongue swirled around her nipples, hardening them more and more with each circuit and pass. He suckled on each one as he imagined their pups would, his clawed hand caressing and kneading the neglected one to keep his miko producing the soft sounds he enjoyed.

Kagome wreathed beneath her demon lord, her arms wrapped around his silky haired head, trying to keep him where he was. His tongue and mouth on her chest felt so good that she didn't even know how to describe it. All she knew was that the pleasure it produced seemed to travel steadily down to her core, making her wreath and squirm all the more at the familiar feeling that was so much more intense then he had ever made her feel before.

Eventually Kagome managed to wiggle her legs out from beneath him, letting his body settle between her legs. The feel of his heated body weight against her core as she moved beneath him had her moaning louder and trying her best to produce more friction to prolong her pleasure. But when he began to move further down her body, away from her breasts, Kagome whimpered in protest, unable to help the sound. She did not want him to stop.

"Do not worry little miko. I will take care of you." Sesshomaru said quietly as he nuzzled her stomach, breathing in the scent of her arousal.

Sesshomaru sat up on his knees, carefully sliding his hands down Kagome's sides until he reached the waist of her thin hakama. He untied her pants and carefully hooked his fingers beneath it and her underwear, pulling them over her hips and down her legs, releasing the full strength of her arousal to his sensitive nose.

He tossed them aside with their other clothes and gazed at his little miko who was completely bare before him for the first time. She was absolutely beautiful. Her skin flushed and glowing in the fire light, and her legs spread for his viewing pleasure. He could tell that she was a bit uncomfortable being so exposed before him but she was being brave about it, something that he adored about her. Even now she could conquer her fear of him. She was not trying to cover herself or looking away, her eyes were focused on his face, on his eyes, knowing that she would find her answers there.

Eyes of complete red and turquoise greeted her; his beast was merged with him, ready to make the miko his mate. Yes, he was ready, more than ready, and she was ready as well judging by the glistening he could clearly see between her thighs. He stood and took off his hakama, watching his little miko's eyes widen at what was revealed. He didn't bother wearing a fundoshi. They were uncomfortable to him and they got in the way. He and his beast growled in pleasure, pleased that she was so stunned at the sight of him.

Kagome lay there staring at the well-endowed demon lord in front of her. He was so big that she wondered if he would even fit inside her, but then he knelt back between her legs bringing his eyes back within her view and all thoughts slipped from her mind. He laid down, sliding along her skin as he covered her body with his, nuzzling against her face as he breathed deeply of her scent.

"My beautiful little miko. All mine." She heard him rumble out in barely recognizable words before sealing his lips to hers.

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders as their tongues rubbed and swirled together fighting for dominance. She moved her hands to caress his ears, knowing they were sensitive and the action would arouse him.

The action caused Sesshomaru to rock his hips against hers, feeling her moist heat against his heated aching length as one of his hands gripped her hip. He rubbed himself against her, using his body to stimulate her instead of his fingers or mouth. Those were things he would use another time, especially using his mouth because he loved the taste of his little miko, all her different tastes. They were delicacies for his tongue that he couldn't wait to sample.

When his miko was once again wreathing and squirming beneath him and he was sure she was ready enough to receive him, he moved to take himself in hand and position his burning length at her opening. He reminded himself that he needed to control himself, because he wanted to bring her to her release first so she could enjoy her first time, and not have it tainted by the memory of the pain his release was going to bring her.

Sesshomaru pushed into her swiftly, breaking her barrier quickly, wanting to get over the moment he would cause her pain. He felt her stiffen and he swallowed her pained whimper since their lips were still connected. He continued kissing her, his tongue swirling and rubbing against hers sensually to try and distract her from her discomfort.

Kagome could not help the whimper that crawled up her throat. The stinging pain between her legs was intense and the extremely full feeling did not help. She had had injuries that were more serious and painful from attacks from demons and just training, but she found this hurt more because it was in such a sensitive place.

However, Sesshomaru's kisses definitely distracted her and allowed her body time to get pass the pain and adjust to his size. She forced herself to focus on the feel of his tongue, his silky hair, his hands caressing up and down her body, the gentle scratching of his claws moving along her skin. Once she was no longer uncomfortable she shifted her hips experimentally, which proved to be enough for her demon lord to start moving his hips.

Back and forth he moved, in and out, in and out, creating a slow rhythm that she was easily able to match. He was being so gentle with her and that was a bit surprising. She didn't think he would be brutal with her or anything, but she thought he would be at least a little rough. _Perhaps it was coming and he was just taking it slow...  
><em>

Either way, she was enjoying the building sensations. The heat suffusing her skin, radiating from deep within her body, and the slowly building tension within her lower stomach and between her thighs where he moved so purposely nearly had her eyes rolling into the back of her head.

Sesshomaru moved his lips to her neck, helping himself control his instincts by lavishing attention on the crescent moon that was her courting mark. He could hear and feel the furious pounding of her heart, hear her quick breaths, feel the blood rushing under her skin beneath his lips, and feel the intense heat of her moist inner walls clinging to him. He felt her wrap her legs around his waist and groaned at the feel of slipping deeper inside her. He began to thrust faster, one of his hands sliding to her thigh to grip at the muscle, the tips of his sharp claws digging into her skin.

He heard her moan her delight and felt one of her hands fist around his hair, scratching at his scalp in her enthusiasm and the other stroke his ear, tracing the edge and stroking the point in a way that nearly broke his control. His miko's moans became louder but to his ears she seemed to be too out of breath to scream or for her tone to get any louder, but he understood that she was getting closer and closer to her peak.

Sesshomaru picked up his pace and hardened his thrusts, and suddenly every part of Kagome's body was clenching around him and she was gasping as if she couldn't get enough air, her back arching, pressing herself against him. Once she relaxed he growled deeply and picked up his pace even more, finally allowing himself to lose control. His hips moved faster then she could keep up, his thrusts became harder, his grip bruising.

Kagome breathed heavily yet gasped at the same time at the feelings coursing through her trembling body. She had never felt so good, never felt so much pleasure in all her life. She had read romance novels, naughty manga, and even heard from her modern friends that sex was great, and even more so with the right person. She had never had an opinion but now she could definitely say that it was absolutely true, and even add that it was better with someone who knew what they were doing.

She held on to him as her demon lord continued his movements and even sped up. She knew they were not done despite her release because he had not achieved his, and there had been no intense pain from creating her mating mark or adding poison to her body. She moaned as the feelings in her body heightened letting her know that she was quickly headed for another release. She was happy that Sesshomaru seemed to be losing his control, she enjoyed the quickened pace and the harder thrusts, the rougher grip. As her thoughts began to slip away all she could think about was that she wanted more of that.

Sesshomaru got to his knees, never stopping his movements, and held Kagome by her sides and pounded into her, his head thrown back in pleasure, his fangs bared to the night. He could feel the tension inside him rising, his body tightening and his youki swelling. He looked back down to his miko's face, his turquoise and red eyes glowing as he took in the sight of her breasts bouncing and swaying around with his movements, her legs still tight around his waist, her head turning from side to side, her mouth open, her eyes shut tight as her moans turned into cries of pleasure.

_It is time_. He and his beast thought in unison before he leaned down and sank his fangs into the juncture between her neck and shoulder, right on top of her courting mark. His claws dug into the flesh of her sides, piercing her skin as his hips continued their thrusting.

The taste of her blood triggered his release and he stiffened as he began to pour his youki into her through his fangs, and his poison through his fangs, claws and throbbing length inside her.

Kagome arched her back, her body feeling intense pleasure as she was forced into her second release, yet more pain as she began to feel his poison enter her system.

Her mind blanked as the pain intensified from one moment to the next, then suddenly instinct seemed to take control of her body and she felt herself bite into Sesshomaru's neck over his sun shaped courting mark, reiki produced fangs instantly forming to get the job done. Her body steadily began to pour her reiki into him while he was in the process of pouring his youki and poison into her.

Sesshomaru stiffened even more then he already had as he felt pain begin to radiate through his body from his courting mark. He understood that it was happening because of Kagome's reiki, but he didn't understand why she was doing it. Still, he trusted her so he endured it just as she was enduring her pain.

They released each other's neck and collapsed as the pain intensified for both of them. Even with pain coursing through his body Sesshomaru had the presence of mind to pull his length as well as his claws from Kagome's body, making sure to stop the flow of his poison. He moved to lay his pain stiffened body down next to her, keeping in contact with her as she wreathed and cried out in pain.

A few minutes passed and he watched her still and listened as she grew quiet and her breathing began to slow, and knew she had fallen unconscious. The pain began to fade and he managed to pull some of the furs over their bodies as he began to lose consciousness, the remaining process of their mating pulling him into a deep sleep.

_Tōji no aoi Kiba_: Blue Fang of Time


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer****: I do not own Inuyasha or his characters, and have no right to it except as a long time fan.**

**Soul Cleansing**

_**Chapter Five: Reunion**_

Inuyasha frowned as he walked back to where his two human pack members were.

"What the hell is wrong with him?" He asked in a slightly irritated tone.

"I don't know but it has something to do with his wind tunnel." Sango said. Her tone was frightened and she was clearly scared that Miroku was about to be pulled into his own hand.

Miroku cried out one more time before he seemed to curl over and rest his forehead against his knees breathing harshly.

"Are you okay?" Sango asked after his breathing evened out, and watched as he sat up and nodded with a sort of dazed look in his eyes.

Miroku blinked and looked down at his hand before suddenly ripping off his prayer beads. Sango and Inuyasha moved back in alarm, but nothing happened. They just watched him stare at his hand. After a few moments they cautiously moved back toward him and took in the sight of his hand with wide eyes.

"It's gone. It's gone. It's gone. It's gone." Miroku said quietly, repeating it over and over as if he wanted to make sure he was hearing his own words right.

"Doesn't that mean Naraku is dead?" Sango asked with a frown.

Miroku nodded absently and Inuyasha scowled in anger. If Naraku was really dead then that meant he hadn't been able to get his revenge! He felt cheated. He was the one who was supposed to land the killing blow on the disgusting spider. He had said he would to anyone and everyone who wanted Naraku dead. So who would've ignored that? He knew that shithead Kouga would have, but he also knew that the wolf didn't have the power to defeat Naraku.

The answer came to him instantly. Sesshomaru would have. He had the power to do it and wouldn't have cared what Inuyasha said.

Inuyasha hadn't seen or sensed that bastard in months, not that he wanted to, but there was usually some sign of him. Coming across him every few weeks or sensing his power at a distance at least.

"It was my bastard half-brother. I know it. There's been no sign of him for months." He said with a scowl, seething in anger.

"Lord Sesshomaru only came for Rin to see Kagome, and since she's not here he has no reason to come." Miroku replied_. Although, it would make sense for Sesshomaru to be the one to kill Naraku. I can imagine the spider half demon going after him and losing. Not to mention he's powerful enough to have a reasonable chance on his own._ He considered as he watched Inuyasha.

"How would that bastard know the wench wasn't around?" Inuyasha asked.

"He doesn't actually have to see us to know she's not here. He most likely could tell by the fact that her aura was no longer around ours, or he could smell that she was no longer with us." Miroku answered logically.

"I wonder what will happen now to the part of the jewel Naraku had. It can't simply be left lying around, unless Sesshomaru decides to keep it." He added thoughtfully.

Inuyasha didn't like that. He didn't want the bastard to have it. The jewel needed to be purified and destroyed and that bastard couldn't do it. Only Kikyou and Kagome could.

That thought reminded him that he had no idea where either woman was, but he could still get the jewel from Sesshomaru and keep it until he did find one of them. They were his females after all. Kikyou was most likely taking care of some important business, but Kagome he was sure had left on her own just because she was angry with him for punishing her. He was going to have to punish her again once he found her. She had put herself in danger and obviously was _still_ in danger just to defy him.

_Hmm…maybe it's a good thing they aren't around. I could get the jewel and use it myself._ He considered as he looked away from the others. He would have to think about that.

"Let's go. Now! We need to find that bastard!" He ordered before running off, sniffing at the air.

Sango frowned as she moved to help Miroku get to his feet. Inuyasha didn't even see if he was well enough to travel. Just because he said he was fine didn't mean he could start running around.

"Are you well enough to travel?" She asked him worriedly.

"I'm very tired but I doubt Inuyasha will let me rest with his mind completely focused on finding Lord Sesshomaru." Miroku said with a weary sigh. "And I don't doubt that he's angry that he wasn't the one to kill Naraku. I'm too tired to deal with his anger, so I'll just deal with my own weakness."

Sango frowned deeper as she asked Kirara to transform then helped Miroku onto her larger form. What was wrong with Inuyasha? Now that she thought about it she didn't doubt he was angry at the missed chance at defeating Naraku. She didn't particularly like that she had been robbed of her revenge, but she thought it was more important that the spider half demon was dead.

What she was concerned about now was Miroku's health, the fate of her little brother, and where Kagome and Shippo were. Who cared if Sesshomaru had Naraku's half of the jewel? Even she knew he wouldn't use it. He had no use for borrowed power. Inuyasha should be more concerned about Miroku's health, especially since he had no idea where Sesshomaru even was.

As Sango climbed onto Kirara and asked her to follow Inuyasha she thought about how she didn't like anything about this situation and the half demon's behavior.

**~o~o~o~o~**

…_Kagome spotted Souta near the shrine's sacred well, standing in the doorway and went to see what he was doing before she left for school. He explained that he thought Buyo was down near the well, so she went inside to look for their cat since he seemed incapable. Scratching sounds from inside the well drew their attention, scaring her little brother, but she was convinced it was Buyo._

_After she found their cat the well exploded behind her in a flash of blue light; arms reached out, grabbing her, pulling her into the well. Traveling weightlessly through the light Kagome was turned around and finally saw that it was a demon holding her. In her fright she tried to push it away only for a purple flash of light to hit it, sending it away from her.  
><em>

_After what seemed like forever, and yet no time at all, Kagome landed at the bottom of the well. She called for her brother to get her grandfather to help her, and began to climb up the side using vines growing inside the well. When she reached the top she instantly realized that she wasn't at home anymore. She searched the clearing hoping to find her family when she spotted the Sacred Tree from her family shrine. She quickly made her way to the tree, hoping that she would have better luck from there, only to come across a boy with dog ears pinned to the tree. She climbed the tree roots to get a closer look, wanting to make sure he was actually real, and being the typical girl she was she reached up and rubbed his cute incredibly soft ears.  
><em>

**_~o~_**

_…Kagome struggled as she was put in a tub even knowing it would do her no good, and cringed as foul smelling herbal water was poured over her body until it nearly filled the tub. She watched as a woman who looked similar to her walked in wearing priestess clothing, and listened as the witch Urasue explained that the herbal water, __potion__, that had been pored over her would suck out her soul and transport it into Kikyou's body. She looked at the woman in priestess clothing again and realized this was Keade's older sister; this was the woman Inuyasha had mistaken her for when they first met.  
><em>

_Kagome could hardly move. She felt like she was going to be sick to the point where she almost didn't notice the bright light flaring around her. Suddenly she heard Inuyasha say Kikyou's name as if it had been whispered in her ear, and her world suddenly exploded around her. Bright light flared before going out. Everything was dark and she wasn't aware of anything until she heard Inuyasha's scream pierce through the darkness. Somehow she managed to open her eyes, she hadn't even been aware they were closed, and even more surprising she managed to call her soul back to her._

**_~o~_**

_…Kagome lay still, curled around Shippo, as she watched through slitted eyes as soul collectors arrived. She watched, carefully keeping her breathing slow and even, as Inuyasha glanced her way before running after the glowing floating snake like demons. She waited until he was far enough away before sitting up, tears trailing down her face as she pulled her bow and arrows closer. She silently put more wood on the fire determined to protect her friends in the face of Inuyasha's neglect._

**_~o~_**

_…Kagome stood in front of Inuyasha silently listening in anger and resignation as he yelled at her calling her weak, stupid, and comparing her to Kikyou as Sango and Miroku stood in the background watching silently. She took a breath and tightened her arms around Shippo grateful that he was trying to defend her yet sad that it was necessary and that he was the only one trying._

**_~o~_**

_…Pain ripped across her face as her head turned from the impact of Inuyasha's clawed hand striking her. She couldn't believe he'd hit her! Shock joined her pain as her body turned with the slap, fearing her neck would snap if she didn't move. She turned back and stared at him blankly as he stared in horror at his bloody claws. Knowing him as she did she knew his horror sprung from the fact that he had drawn her blood and not the fact that he had hit her, as if one was worse than the other._

**~o~**

Sesshomaru blinked his eyes open as he slowly woke up feeling a little lethargic, and immediately did an internal examination as he shifted slightly beneath the warm furs. He didn't feel any different but quickly corrected himself as he realized he sensed a sort of blank quiet presence in the back of his mind similar to how it felt when his beast spoke to him. He wasn't sure what it was but he didn't feel threatened and his beast was very calm, so he decided not to worry about it sure that he would find out what it was soon enough.

He looked over to Kagome and seeing her bare back he turned and curled his arm around her, and listened to the even sound of her breathing and steady beat of her heart. He buried his nose in her hair and breathed deeply instantly smelling their mixed scent. He rumbled quietly, pleased at their combined scent and satisfied that his mate was well, and turned his thoughts to what he had seen in her memories.

The time his mate came from was so very different than what he was used to, and he could see how it had shaped her but at the same time he could tell that she was different then the humans there.

He understood better what she meant when she talked about school. He had seen her books and even read them, but it had been hard to imagine the environment she described. Now, however, he had seen it and understood; he even understood that those inappropriate clothes she used to wear was the uniform all females wore at her school.

Sesshomaru saw that his mate was a very good student who did well in all the required subjects, at least until she was pulled down the well. Then her grades steadily went downhill the more time she spent away from the institution, and her family had to come up with an increasing string of different ailments for her constant absences.

He took pride in the fact that she had been able to study and get her work done under his care and was doing better. He would make sure that her progress continued once they reached her time. He knew that she could not sit in a class setting with students of her current age with how old she would be, but he was sure there were other ways for her to complete her education. Not to mention it was a given that they both would be learning as the years passed and the institution of education developed.

He moved on and considered her friends and the boy, Hojo, that would not leave her alone. He had never seen a male so clueless as to not get the hints a female was sending him with her constant rejections, even if they were done politely and not with the specific words one would expect. The number of them, the tone of her voice, and the weariness in her face whenever he showed up should have told the boy something.

_Perhaps the boy is willfully blind and needs to see her with another male for him to finally understand that he will never have a chance._ He considered thoughtfully, fully willing to play that role for his mate.

Sesshomaru considered his mates modern human friends an irritation even through her memories. The females were loud and pushy. They always wanted to know about the two timing guy she was seeing, whom he reasoned to be the half-breed, and that she needed to stop seeing him.

He agreed when the females said she could do better, but they hadn't wanted to _let_ her do better. They constantly talked about the human boy trying to push her toward him and setting her up on these dates, that he understood were the equivalent of courting outings, without her knowing about it. They seemed to be obsessed with human males and wanted Kagome to be the same. When she expressed her disinterest with the Hojo boy, and they finally listened, they started listing different males to pair her with.

In his opinion these supposed friends of hers were not friends at all. They were only helpful when she asked even though they knew full well about her 'illnesses'. They never made an effort to leave her school work with her mother, and even when she did agree to go spend time with them when she was feeling 'better' they did not want to do relaxing things and talk about mundane topics. They wanted to speak of human males and if they learned that she had been well enough to be away from home for a while they wanted to know where she had been and who she was with. They seemed to think she was not entitled to _any_ privacy.

As for her family, he had no problems with them. They seemed to be close to each other. Her little brother was better then his- enough said, and her grandfather was amusing yet seemed to be full of a wealth of information if you were listening correctly. Her mother was clearly the greatest influence in her development since she seemed to have the same accepting nature. She would have had to be accepting to allow her child to go to a time where she knew there was danger to her life. Although, he was sure she wouldn't have been so accepting if Kagome had told her what her supposed protector was doing and that he wasn't much of a protector at all.

Sesshomaru sighed lightly as those thoughts brought him to the memories of the time since his mate had first come through the well.

He could admit that she had done well with her powers for someone who hadn't even known she had them. She had done well off of instinct alone, but she shouldn't have had to. She should have been taught. The half-breed had been too hell bent on going after jewel shards and then hunting Naraku to let her be taught.

Seeing Inuyasha's behavior since the moment she met him he could easily see how badly she had been mistreated. He wondered if she was aware of all her mistreatment. He was sure she was aware of a great deal more then she had been since he had her study the scrolls on dog demons, but he wasn't so sure she grasped all the mistreatment. The half-breed had been treating her as his mate in all but the physical and affectionate sense.

_How long would it have been before the half-breed began to try for the physical aspects of having a mate?_ He wondered darkly.

He was aware that Inuyasha had been intimate with the abomination that was the dead priestess from what he had witnessed and smelled, but even more so from what Kagome had seen in the dead woman's memories. Still, he was sure that it would have only been a matter of time before the half-breed wanted a warm body to use.

Then there was the constant comparisons to the dead priestess. The half-breed had been doing it since the moment he met her, and it had only gotten worse after the woman had been resurrected. After seeing those memories he wondered if the half-breed held any affection for his little miko at all with the way he treated her and the things he said to her.

It wasn't just the constant comparisons to the dead priestess but the seemingly constant barrage of insults, disrespect, and humiliation. Inuyasha had no problem calling her weak in front of others; stupid, useless, brainless- the list just went on. He was starting to believe the half-breed only wanted Kagome because she had behaved so similar to his mother in the way she treated him and what she allowed him to do and to get away with. The half-breed most likely thought of the dead abomination as his mate despite the fact she had been dead.

These thoughts made him wonder. If his reflections were true, what role did the half-breed want Kagome to play in his life if the abomination was to be his mate?

Sesshomaru held in a sigh and put a hold on his thought process since he thought it was time he got up since he didn't plan on lying around all day. Not that he thought it wouldn't be a nice thing to do, but he needed to begin his day. Starting with finding something to eat since he was hungrier than he usually was.

_It's most likely a combination of the youki I extended during the mating as well as how long I've been asleep._ He considered as he heard his stomach rumble a bit.

From what he could tell he had only been asleep for a day or so. It wasn't very long but the combination was enough to leave him nearly ravenous. He knew that his mate would be unconscious for a few more days since he had lived much longer then she had and she would have more memories to view, so he was confident he had time to hunt.

He carefully sat up, the furs falling away from his upper body, revealing his arm. His eyes widened at the light blue mark that was clearly a new stripe that had been added to his other two. He pulled the furs away and saw that the light blue stripes had been added to all the others on his body.

The new markings allowed him to finally understand what she had done with her reiki. She had participated in the mating in a way that was not only unexpected but unheard of. He wouldn't be surprised to see a mating mark on his neck. If she could give him a courting mark, and new markings on his body, than a mating mark wasn't a stretch of the imagination.

He then focused on his mate's body and saw her new markings. They looked just like his. There were two stripes that were in the exact same places as his but instead of his magenta hers were a light blue like his new markings. He gently turned her on to her back and looked at her face and neck. Two stripes slashed across the top of each cheek, light blue lined her eyelids, and a perfect replica of his navy blue crescent moon graced her forehead.

On the left side of her neck where her courting mark was now sat her mating mark: a tiny replica of his youki cloud in a very light red with the crescent moon that used to be the outline of her courting mark, which had filled in with a navy blue color, overlaid over it.

_She looks even more beautiful then she did before._ He thought with a quiet rumble as he nuzzled and licked the mark.

With a content sigh he got up, covered up his mate with the furs, and went to hunt in his true form to sate his hunger and celebrate his mating.

**~o~o~o~o~**

Nearly three days passed before Kagome began to show signs of waking and Sesshomaru was sitting right next to her on the furs waiting to greet her.

Kagome sighed as she shifted and stretched before opening her eyes to see Sesshomaru gazing down at her with his intense golden eyes.

"Mate." Sesshomaru greeted her quietly. "How are you feeling?" He asked as he ran his claws carefully through her hair.

"A little weak and very hungry." Kagome answered as she gazed up at him. She blinked and finally woke up enough to notice the new marks on his body since he was sitting topless next to her.

"They are the result of our mating." Sesshomaru said, referring to his markings, as he helped his mate sit up and put on her outer kimono so she wouldn't be topless in front of him since she was still modest despite their mating.

"Because a mating has never happened with a miko it was not known that adding your power would give me new markings and a mating mark as well." He explained as he provided her with food he had prepared for her while she was asleep.

Kagome looked to the left side of her mate's neck where his courting mark used to be and saw a golden sun with light blue stars surrounding it.

"Females do not mark males during mating, so I am not entirely sure of what all the benefits will be." He explained. "However, I can tell, now that you are awake, that our bond is stronger than I expected."

"What do you mean?" Kagome asked with a slightly confused frown.

"Do you feel anything different about yourself?" He asked instead of answering.

Kagome frowned in confusion but tried to see if anything was different about herself. She closed her eyes and felt for her power. It felt fine so she tried to sense anything else, and she felt a sense of calm patience that she knew she wasn't feeling.

"I can sense a feel of calm patience, but I know I'm not feeling that way." She said after she opened her eyes.

"That is one of the benefits." Sesshomaru stated. "We can now feel each other's emotions, however there is something else. Do you feel anything in your mind?"

Kagome tried to sense anything since she wasn't used to looking for anything in that area, but she finally did sense something but she wasn't sure what.

"What is that?" She asked, hoping he would understand her lack of detail.

"I suspect we can share thoughts. The presence in your mind is me. I felt the same thing when I regained consciousness, and now that you are awake it is stronger." He explained.

"I guess it's something we're going to have to figure out and practice. I think it's a nice benefit. We'll be able to speak to each other without anyone knowing. I think you especially will like that benefit, because you'll be able to speak to me without anyone else being aware and maintain your silent controlled persona." She stated.

"Indeed." He agreed. "We will find out of there are more benefits as time passes, but for now I wish to know your thoughts on my memories."

"Oh! I can't _believe_ how old you are. 856 _years_!" She exclaimed. He was ancient compared to her! Part of her wondered how he could be with someone as young as her, but she understood from his memories that it was about maturity levels and not simply the number of years. He was many times older then her grandfather, but that didn't make him an old male.

She could hardly believe all the things he had seen and experienced, and especially all the traveling he had done! His memories had been like a virtual museum exhibit.

"That simply means I have more experiences and know what I am talking about." He replied smoothly.

Kagome wanted to roll her eyes and disagree but she could not deny that he was knowledgeable in many things.

"I'm awed and amazed that you're been to ancient Egypt, Rome, China, the Americas, and Europe. I've always wanted to experience those places. Seeing the pictures in books isn't the same." She said with a dreamy sigh, and Sesshomaru determined to take her to those places. It was clear from the tone of her voice that she didn't want to see those places in her time, although he was sure she wouldn't turn down the opportunity.

Kagome went on to describe that she liked seeing his childhood and how he grew up. It helped her understand him better. She didn't like that it all seemed to be about training and studying, but she understood how dangerous that time had been and that he needed to know those things in order to even survive his childhood. She liked seeing that he hadn't always been so controlled with his emotions and presenting a cold façade to the world. That he had been as expressive as she usually was before he had learned that his emotions could be used against him.

She was impressed with his thirst for knowledge and making sure he was not ignorant to things in the world, even if they were beyond what he had to deal with. She readily understood that you never knew when that information would come in handy.

She asked her mate about the assassination attempts since she could not help being curious about them. There had been a disturbing amount of them.

Sesshomaru stated that it was the price he had to pay for being the heir to the western lands. It was part of why his emotions were so controlled and his abilities so finely honed. The assassins could have been anyone and anywhere. After a time, and many attempts, he had begun to be able to tell who was an assassin no matter how they portrayed themselves. They had come in the form of enemies, supposed allies, soldiers, concubines, court ladies, maids, and servants.

Kagome nodded and decided to keep his words in mind for when they began to live at his palace. She was aware of her habit of trusting and giving the benefit of doubt to people who she had just met because they were nice to her. It was something she had been working on and intended to continue working on. She refused to put herself and her family in danger because she couldn't get over her naiveté.

She moved on from those thoughts and exclaimed over the many and varied entrapment attempts since he had become lord of the west. The females had been bold beyond belief in some cases. He simply said those were part of the reasons he hadn't taken a mate before then. He hadn't wanted to be tied for life to any of those females.

"It is time we search out your old pack." Sesshomaru eventually pointed out. "They will need to learn how Naraku met his end, and Inuyasha at least needs to see the destruction of the jewel so he knows it is beyond his reach. We also need to deal with him."

"Yes we do." Kagome agreed. Inuyasha had told her that he no longer wanted to be a full demon, but she didn't believe that anymore, and even if she did believe it she had always wondered if he would use the jewel for something else.

As they dressed and prepared to leave they discussed what to do about Inuyasha because even Kagome, after viewing Sesshomaru's memories of him, knew that something had to be done. He couldn't be left to go around doing to other women what he did to her and using people left and right.

It was instantly agreed that they would not pick up Rin and Shippo. They didn't know how Inuyasha would react to learning they were responsible for Naraku's death, that they were mates, or that the jewel was going to be destroyed. They didn't want to risk the children.

**~o~o~o~o~**

As the Inu pack traveled in their search for the dog demon lord they ran into Kouga who was traveling with his wolves. He and Inuyasha got into their usual fight, even without Kagome there, but Kouga wasn't in the mood to hear anything Inuyasha had to say about Kagome so he dealt with him quickly, beating him until he was too disoriented to fight. He knew the condition wouldn't last long, but it would be long enough to put off any more fighting.

"Have you seen Kagome at all since the last time we saw you?" Sango asked the wolf demon.

"I saw her just a few days ago." Kouga answered, surprising them all. "What about you all?" He asked, remembering what Kagome had told him about not traveling with her old pack anymore.

"We haven't seen her since the last time we came across you. She disappeared with Shippo and we haven't been able to find her in all this time. We had feared she was dead." Miroku answered.

"She's very much alive and well. She came for the jewel shards I had." Kouga stated. "She's also being courted by Lord Sesshomaru." He added almost gleefully. He was unhappy that Kagome did not want him, but he was satisfied that she hadn't wanted dog breath either. And it was all the more satisfying that he was the one to break the news.

Sounds of denial ran through the air, Inuyasha the loudest among them. None of the pack members believed him. They all thought Kagome was too in love with Inuyasha to allow anyone to court her let alone be interested in anyone else.

"I saw the courting mark and sensed Sesshomaru's power in her, and smelled his scent on her. She's definitely being courted." Kouga stated.

Suddenly a crow flew low with a screeched caw just over their heads and they heard a tiny squeaky voice. "Master Inuyasha!" They watched as Inuyasha suddenly smacked his neck before looking at his hand. Laying there with a slight groan was the flea demon Myouga.

"So cruel." Myouga lamented.

"What the fuck are you doin here?" Inuyasha asked rudely. "You weren't around months ago when I actually could've used you."

"I have news to share Master Inuyasha." Myouga said as he settled comfortably on the half-demon's hand. "I just came from Totosai's. I learned from him that he has recently made some weapons for Lord Sesshomaru from his fang and claw to gift to a female he's courting. He's obviously very serious about this female if he's giving up a fang and especially a _claw_." He reported.

"I told you so." Kouga chimed in quite happily, and watched as Sango and Miroku began to look undecided and concerned.

"That doesn't mean it's Kagome!" Inuyasha said instantly, displacing Myouga from his seat on his hand.

"Why do you think it's Lady Kagome?" Myouga asked Kouga in confusion as he settled on Miroku's shoulder, deeming it safer there. "Where is Lady Kagome anyway?" He asked Inuyasha in the next breath.

Miroku and Sango explained that Kagome had disappeared with Shippo a few months ago and they had not seen either of them since. They had feared Kagome was dead and it was only that day that they learned from Kouga that she was alive and apparently well.

Myouga nodded and turned to look at the wolf demon.

"I saw her just a few days ago with Sesshomaru. She came for the jewel shards I had, and that's when I learned that she was being courted by the western lord." Kouga said.

"Are you positive she's being courted and not simply traveling with him?" Myouga asked.

"I saw the courting mark. She showed me. I also smelled Sesshomaru's scent on her and sensed his power in her." Kouga said.

"Hmmm…I'm a bit concerned that the female is Kagome knowing her personality and all, but as long as she's happy then I think it will be a good match." Myouga said and Inuyasha was instantly upset.

"That shit can't be true! Kagome loves me! That fuckin bastard is the _last_ person the wench would allow to court her even if she didn't love me. But she does! She loves me and belongs to me!" Inuyasha said loudly.

Kouga simply frowned and shook his head. Clearly Inuyasha was in denial to think Kagome would put up with all the crap he put her through and never get tired of it. And it was ridiculous that he was claiming she belonged to him when he had never marked her. He honestly wished he could be there when the idiot learned the truth. He supposed he _could_ be there, but it was too soon to see her. He still needed time to heal. Besides, he was sure he would hear all about it eventually.

Myouga frowned at Inuyasha's words. He had thought that Kagome was in love with his master as well, but even he knew that Inuyasha did not treat her right a majority of the time. That thought had him wondering again about her disappearance.

"What led up to Lady Kagome's disappearance? Did she leave for a reason?" Myouga asked.

Inuyasha scowled and looked off into the distance, Sango and Miroku looked uncomfortable, and Kouga looked curious since he too wanted to know why she had stopped traveling with her old pack.

After a few tense and awkward moments Miroku explained what happened before she disappeared, and how they had no idea how she disappeared. There had been no trace of her leaving from the stream.

Kouga could not believe what he was hearing. Inuyasha had hit her! He had laid his hand on her in violence because he would not stop verbally claiming her. He was even happier that she finally got away from the idiot. He clearly had problems if he was taking his anger out on a female who had done nothing and had stuck by him for so long.

"I'm glad Kagome got away from you when she had the chance. I hope she and Sesshomaru are already mated so she'll be safe from you." Kouga told Inuyasha fiercely before saying his goodbyes to the two humans and flea. He then turned and took off with his small pack of wolves, determined to not have to see or deal with Inuyasha ever again.

Myouga was shocked. He could hardly believe it. That a son of the great Inu no Taisho would lay his hands on a female in such a way! Not even Lord Sesshomaru with his cold hearted reputation had been known to be violent with a female.

He frowned as he finally realized that all the rumors he had heard over the years about Inuyasha had been true. The anger issues, befriending beings only to use them for his own gain, and thinking he could have whatever he wanted without earning it. That type of thinking definitely explained why Inuyasha went after the sacred jewel the first time. It had the power to make him into something he could never be no matter how much he wanted it.

Myouga looked at the two humans that traveled with Inuyasha and realized he was probably using them as well. He wondered when they would begin to realize it. From what he had heard Inuyasha's attitude began to change toward his supposed friends when their usefulness was up or they realized what he was doing.

_I heard a rumor that Naraku's been defeated, so his attitude will most likely begin to change soon if it hasn't already since they had all been traveling together to defeat the spider half demon._ He thought with a frown as he looked at Inuyasha.

"Do any of you know anything about the rumors of Naraku's defeat?" He asked instead of responding to the tale and watched as Inuyasha scowled.

"It was that fuckin' bastard! He knew I said I was goin' to be the one to defeat Naraku and he did it anyway!" He yelled irately.

"My wind tunnel is gone so we know Naraku is dead." Miroku said calmly and paused as he glanced to Inuyasha. "We were looking for Lord Sesshomaru when we came across Kouga, because he's most likely the one responsible for Naraku's death."

Myouga nodded. "I think I'll accompany you on your search." He decided. Lord Sesshomaru was dangerous and he didn't like to be around danger but he wanted to know if the demon lord was really responsible for Naraku's death and if he was really courting Kagome. Not that he didn't believe Kouga; he just wanted to see her with his own eyes.

Inuyasha scowled wordlessly and took off to continue his search.

"You're welcome to come, but could you refrain from feeding on us?" Sango said as they begin to follow after Inuyasha.

**~o~o~o~o~**

A few days later saw the newly mated couple in a peaceful clearing relaxing as they waited for Kagome's old pack to arrive. They had secretly tracked the group by scent and when they were only a few hours apart Sesshomaru allowed some of his youki to leak out for the group to follow.

Sesshomaru sat leaning against a tree with one leg bent and the other stretched out. Kagome lay comfortably on her back in the grass with her head resting on his stretched leg. As they waited Kagome snacked on fruit while they spoke through their bond about the possible reactions to come from her old pack. They both knew that Inuyasha would be loud and irate, about everything, and in Kagome's case he might try to take her by force.

"_I think Sango and Miroku will be shocked and surprised that I'm willingly in your company let alone mated to you. If it was before we were mated they probably would have tried to stop me and talk me out of going through with it."_ Kagome said.

"_**They do not trust you to make your own decisions."**_ Sesshomaru commented.

"_True and I don't understand why. Is it because I'm a few years younger than them? Is it because I'm from a different time? Could it be because they think I don't know how to navigate in this time with its different species, cultures, and traditions?"_ She said with a frown.

"_**If that's the case than they should have educated you instead of assuming all would be well because you would be in their presence. There was bound to come a time when you would need to know what to do. If they had been worried then it was reckless of them not to have rectified it as soon as possible."**_ Sesshomaru stated.

"_That's true as well, and even if they wanted to teach me Inuyasha wouldn't have given them time since he was so hell bent on collecting jewel shards and hunting down Naraku. Not even health issues were enough to make him stop. I always had to sit him if one of us was sick so we could get rest and get better."_ Kagome said.

"_**The half-breed is a disgraceful alpha and doesn't deserve the title."**_ He said in annoyance.

Kagome nodded as she popped another piece of fruit into her mouth. _"I can definitely attest to that personally now that I know what an alpha is supposed to be like."_ She said.

"_**Hn."**_ He hummed. _**"I smell Inuyasha and the rest of his pack. They will be here shortly."**_ He announced.

Kagome nodded and took the remaining time to finish her fruit then sat up, and got to her feet with the help of her mate who was already standing. She straightened her clothes and weapons and made sure she was presentable before standing next to Sesshomaru and facing the direction he was looking in and calmly waited.

She sensed them first than minutes later she saw Kirara flying toward them and knew that Inuyasha would be there first even though she had yet to see him. She was right. She watched calmly as Inuyasha burst through the far trees screaming her mate's name, only to come to a halt at the sight of her.

It was in the wake of this that Sango and Miroku arrived. Once Kirara landed they slipped off her, both of them staring at the sight of Kagome standing calmly at the side of Inuyasha's dangerous older brother. As they looked at her they noticed that she looked the same as they remembered yet different. Her clothing was definitely something that was different. The only time they had seen her wear any clothing of their time was when her own clothing was destroyed and she had to wear priestess clothes, and even that was rare.

Now she stood there wearing black hakama and a short kimono with a small crescent moon pattern as well as with what was clearly the demon lord's family crest on her left shoulder and sleeves just like what was displayed on his haori in a blue that matched her eyes. A blue and white obi secured her kimono closed as well as held a sword and long daggers at her waist. Black boots similar to the demon lords graced her feet and her hair was much longer then it was the last time they saw her, but that was not the only difference in her.

It was the way she held herself and the look on her face that had them staring. She stood straight, yet relaxed, with her head held high in a clear show of confidence. Her face showed no embarrassment, hesitation, or fear. Just a calmness and expectation that showed that she had known they were coming.

In addition to that she had marks on her face the same as the demon lord at her side. The only difference there was that her stripes were a different color. Still, it was definitely evidence toward her being courted by the demon lord, perhaps even already being mated.

"_Should we say something or wait for them to speak?"_ She asked her mate as she calmly gazed at her old pack members.

"_**We should. I have no desire to be here all day. We need to get back to the children, and we still need to announce our mating."**_ He stated.

"_Okay."_ She agreed before taking a steadying breath. "Hi. I'm glad you found us because I have the jewel and I wanted you to witness its destruction." She said calmly.

"What the fuck wench?!" Inuyasha shouted, finally finding his voice again after seeing Kagome standing next to his bastard half-brother and wearing similar demonic facial markings. "Is that all you have to say for yourself?"

"I wasn't aware I needed to say anything for myself." Kagome said with a raised eyebrow.

When Inuyasha's face reddened and he looked like he would explode at her Miroku stepped in to try and defuse the situation.

"I'm happy to see you alive and well since we had thought you were dead not too long ago." He said with a slight smile. "We spoke to Kouga recently and he let us know that you were alive, and he also informed us that you were being courted." He added, trailing off as he looked to the demon lord who gazed back with his usual cold look.

"That's true. We went to find Kouga to get the jewel shards he had before Naraku decided to go after them. I let him know than that Sesshomaru was courting me so he would finally stop pursuing me." Kagome informed them.

"That fuckin bastard can't be courting you!" Inuyasha burst out loudly, unable to remain silent any longer.

"Of course he's not courting me." She responded as she looked at him, and watched as he began to look smug. "He's now my mate." She added before he could speak again.

"Congratulations!" They heard a tiny voice say and looked to see Myouga sitting on Miroku's shoulder. "I'm glad you're alive and safe Lady Kagome even though I had not known you were missing until I met up with Master Inuyasha." He added lightly. "Did you know that the half demon Naraku is dead? I've heard rumors of his defeat, and the good monk here said his cursed wind tunnel is gone."

"Yes we do know seeing as how we were there when it happened." She answered. "Kagura and Kanna are dead as well in case you were wondering."

"You bastard!" Inuyasha exploded. "I know you did it! I told you Naraku was mine to defeat."

"Your words mean little to nothing to me." Sesshomaru stated coldly. "Naraku needed to be dealt with and my mate needed the half of the jewel he had in order to finish her duty to the cursed bobble." He added as he watched him. He could see the half-breed was getting ready to explode in anger and could tell the situation was about to get physical. _**"Move away. I do not want you hit in the half-breeds rash rush."**_ He told his mate through their bond.

Kagome could also see the signs and simply moved away without responding just as Inuyasha began to yell.

"She ain't your mate! She doesn't belong to you!" Inuyasha yelled angrily as he rushed at Sesshomaru fists raised and fangs bared.

Sango and Miroku along with Myouga moved out of the way and next to Kagome. As they watched the half-brothers fight they once again told her how glad they were that she was alive and well.

Kagome merely nodded, feeling Sesshomaru's curiosity and knew it stemmed from what they would say to her since he could hear perfectly even with his fight going on.

"Why did you leave that day? How did you do it?" Sango asked quietly.

Kagome explained that Sesshomaru had come across her and Shippo at the stream. After she explained what happened he let them travel with him so she could finish collecting the jewel shards, because she couldn't travel with Inuyasha after he had hit her. It was the last straw and she didn't want him to be able to find her. She couldn't continue to stay around someone who would be violent with her, but beyond that there was another major reason.

She informed them about the tainted wish on her soul and how it made her behave toward Inuyasha, and how she fixed the problem.

Sango and Miroku were shocked and surprised. It was definitely a surprise to learn that Kagome's feelings for Inuyasha and her behavior toward him were a result of a wish on the sacred jewel. This knowledge also explained why Inuyasha treated Kagome the way he did, and why he had been so sure she was willing to accept him being with Kikyou as well as her. She would have put up with his behavior and accepted it all because of the tainted wish.

Kagome also explained that she wasn't willing to stay around them either, considering how they reacted and had reacted to many of the situations between her and Inuyasha in the past. They had never tried to interfere or advise her to try and move on from Inuyasha. She and Inuyasha hadn't been in a relationship so they couldn't say that they didn't want to overstep their bounds.

She told them that they had even been pushing her toward Inuyasha and back to him when they had major fights, as if they wanted her to be with him or thought that their being together was inevitable. And they had to have noticed something off about her behavior toward him. She had been putting herself into dangerous situations that common sense said she didn't have to.

"It disturbed me that he hit me right in front of you guys and you did absolutely nothing! You didn't even yell at him. You just stood there and watched." She explained.

She stopped there to let her words sink as she watched her mate fight with her former friend. He had pulled no weapon and she could tell that he was not even trying to fight him with his full strength.

"_**I am riling him up to see if he will blurt out any guilty admissions."**_ Sesshomaru informed her after catching the thought.

Kagome watched as he almost casually dodged out of the way of Inuyasha's strikes just before they would have landed, and flicked his poison whip at him with just enough power to push him back. She listened as Inuyasha shouted at him to stay still and that he would get him for taking away his revenge and trying to claim her as his mate.

"I'm so sorry Kagome." Sango said remorsefully.

"Yes. I too am very sorry Lady Kagome." Miroku said sincerely. "We're sorry for our lack of action in helping you, and not being the best friends we could be."

"Yes. We should have been better friends." Sango agreed, and hesitated for a few moments. "But can I ask why you're not doing anything to help Inuyasha or trying to stop Sesshomaru?" She asked, her tone a mix of surprise and confusion as Miroku nodded his curiosity.

"I'm serious about being done with Inuyasha. I don't want anything to do with him and besides, he's not my responsibility. He's not my mate, and not my friend. Sesshomaru is my mate. Inuyasha isn't in danger of dying, and he needs to realize there are consequences to his actions. That for every action there's a reaction." Kagome stated firmly.

"Not that I want this situation to become more violent, but…why isn't Master Inuyasha using Tetsusiaga?" Myouga asked.

"Because he hasn't been able to use it in months. We went to see Totosai and he explained that it refused to work for him anymore; that it had rejected him." Miroku said.

"Tetsusiaga rejected him because he hit me; the one he promised to protect. The one that was the reason he was able to use the sword in the first place instead of it simply being an unknown seal on his demon blood inside him." Kagome informed them.

"How do you know?" Sango asked.

"We learned weeks ago when Totosai brought me my weapons." Kagome answered. _"Mate."_ She called quietly through their bond. He hummed in response, never stopping his fight. _"Would you mind giving me a turn?"_ She asked and sensed his curiosity. _"For closure."_ She answered the silent question.

Sesshomaru followed his mate's train of thought and came to the words the half-breed had been telling her from the moment they met: weak, powerless, idiot, shard detector. The words instantly called up the memories he had viewed and all the degrading and demeaning ways he had treated her.

"_**Very well."**_ He said and hit Inuyasha in the face, knocking him to the ground so hard it left him disoriented. He walked off to where he had been standing previously and watched as his mate walked forward until she was standing where he had been.

Miroku watched this wondering how they moved in the positions they were in without a word, but he was more concerned with a thought that had just come to him. Kagome had said that she had purified her soul but he knew that she needed her entire soul to do that, and he wondered if that meant she actually _did_ have her entire soul.

"What's wrong?" Sango asked, noticing his frown.

"Kagome said she purified her soul. She had to have her _entire_ soul to do that, and if that's the case then what happened to Kikyou?" Miroku said.

Sesshomaru easily heard their conversation and decided to answer the monks question since he knew the half-breed would hear. He knew that the monk was an intelligent human and would figure out quickly what actually happened without knowing the details.

"She is dead." He said bluntly in his cold stoic voice.

"What?!" Inuyasha yelled, instantly furious at the news, and focused on Sesshomaru. He began to run toward him but Kagome intercepted him, swinging a back kick at him that knocked him on his back.

"You killed her didn't you?" Miroku questioned the demon lord, but he already knew. Kagome needed her full soul to purify it completely, and needed her full soul to use her powers to that extent anyway. He also know that Kagome, from what she said, wouldn't be able to do it.

"Yes." Sesshomaru said clearly and unapologetic, and watched as the half-breed practically roared and tried to come at him again.

Once again Kagome stopped his advance with a punch to the face that had him stumbling back.

"What the fuck wench?!" Inuyasha yelled as he grabbed his nose.

"And it was a good thing he did." Kagome said, ignoring Inuyasha's words. "As bad as that sounds it was."

"Kikyou had been helping Naraku. She wanted myself and Inuyasha dead so badly that she was willing to work with the one responsible for her death." She stated firmly to the group at large, feeling her mate's encouragement filter through their bond. "Not only was she feeding him information about us and what we were doing, she was also giving him jewel shards."

"How could you know that Bitch?" Inuyasha asked angrily, his eyes flickering between red and amber.

Kagome looked at him blankly as she felt her mate instantly become angry to the point where it began to spill over to her. She understood why. That name, she learned from Sesshomaru's memories, was only something a male Inu called his mate. Inuyasha was overstepping his bounds, and he was doing it purposely because he considered her to be his.

Kagome's reiki sparked to life around her in her anger which was being joined and somewhat fueled by her mates. She did not appreciate his calling her such a name. Coming from it was derogatory, an insult, and only reminded her of the way he talked to her before she left.

"I unfortunately got to view all her memories when I got the rest of my soul back." She stated coldly. "And there were many things that disturbed and disgusted me; many of which involved you!" She added as she stepped toward him, her power flaring up with each step, a light blue aura beginning to circle her.

She didn't hate Inuyasha but she disliked him and didn't want anything to do with him. She would fight him and show him just how wrong he was about her; show him how she felt about all the things he had said and done to her. She held a hand out, palm forward, and shot out small low powered light blue balls of purification at him. She didn't want to purify him, just give him a very bad sting.

"What the fuck are you doin wench?" Inuyasha asked as he dodged the reiki balls.

Kagome didn't answer. She simply continued to attack. She moved toward him slowly at first using his distraction, then quickly using her power to enhance her speed and strengthen her limbs, and nailed him in the face with a punch then a reiki enhanced side kick that sent him flying to the side before sliding across the ground.

"Bitch! What's wrong with you?" Inuyasha said angrily. "This is just one more thing to punish you for when I get my hands on you!" He stated as he sped toward her.

Kagome frowned. He treated her like an unruly mate that needed discipline. She definitely wasn't about to let him get his hands on her, not that her mate wouldn't step in and stop him before he did. She could sense his anger spike higher and higher at Inuyasha calling her bitch yet again and threatening to punish her.

She knew Inuyasha was fast but Sesshomaru was faster, and after training with him at his speed she had no problem evading Inuyasha's grasping hands.

"Stay still and stop running. You're only makin things worse on yourself." Inuyasha growled in frustration.

Sango and Miroku watched the two with wide eyes. They couldn't believe Kagome and Inuyasha were fighting. It was something they never thought they would see happen. They couldn't help being amazed that she was keeping up with him with no problem and landing hits, and the control she showed when she used her power was incredible. Miroku was sure that Sesshomaru must have taught her these skills.

Aside from that they were more than a little disturbed at how angry and focused Inuyasha was on trying to hit Kagome and wanting to punish her. What was wrong with him? They could understand he was angry at being attacked, but he seemed to be taking it to another level. Didn't he want to be in a relationship with her? Why would he want to hurt her? Why was he being this way? His behavior had been going downhill when Kagome disappeared, but it seemed to get worse once they found out Naraku was dead. Neither one of them liked the implications that implied.

"_Sesshomaru, are you ready to take over?"_ Kagome asked through their bond.

"_**Are you done?"**_ Sesshomaru asked.

"_I'm satisfied that I made my point."_ She said confidently.

With that assurance Sesshomaru sped forward, vanishing from his spot and appearing in front of the half-breed, intercepting him before he could reach Kagome. His eyes bled red, his anger showing through as he allowed his beast to merge with him as he began to beat his half-brother more severely than he ever had before. He pummeled the whelp as he gladly released the angry tension from standing back and allowing him to speak to and threaten his mate the way he had.

Kagome calmly moved away so she was out of the danger zone so to speak and watched waiting for the moment when her mate was done so they could finish with the situation.

When Sesshomaru and his beast were as satisfied as they could be without killing the whelp and Inuyasha was groaning on the ground, unable to move, they implemented Inuyasha's punishment.

Kagome moved forward and stood next to Sesshomaru. She looked to him and after he gave her a small nod she looked down at Inuyasha and began to focus on her reiki. She held her hands together and slowly pulled them apart, a small tennis sized ball of her reiki floated there, glowing and pulsing as it responded to her will.

When she was satisfied she released the ball, letting it fall over Inuyasha. The moment it hit him it pulsed stronger before melting into him, causing his body to glow a light blue. Red slowly began to mix with the blue, and Inuyasha began to scream.

Slowly Kagome's reiki began to seal away his demon blood leaving him human yet knowing that his demon half was forever locked away. This way he could no longer use his superior strength or senses to harm another female, or to manipulate people into befriending him just to use them. He would have to live like a human everyday instead of just one night a month.

Kagome decided to leave the sacred beads around his neck because even though she didn't want anything more to do with him he was most likely still dangerous. After all human men could be dangerous. She and Sesshomaru would be the only ones to know that those beads could still be used in his human state. The subjugation would just be different in deference to his weaker state.

They watched and listened as Inuyasha lay there groaning and panting from the effects of the sealing. They kept their feelings to themselves, while Sango and Miroku stared wide eyed and confused. Miroku shook his head and decided he needed to know what had just happened.

"What…what just happened?" Miroku asked with a frown.

"I sealed Inuyasha's demon blood away so he won't be able to use it to hurt another female or manipulate another person. If he changes his ways then there's a possibility that he'll earn his demon state back, but only if he can prove to me that he's really changed." Kagome explained patiently.

Myouga shook his head sadly. He had learned so many things since meeting up with Master Inuyasha, but this information was on a whole new level. Inuyasha had finally gone too far and was now paying the price. He wondered if his half demon master would learn his lesson or continue on as he always had despite being human. He would stick close to find out and let Lady Kagome know if he really did change his ways.

Kagome then moved away so that she was standing between the prone half demon and Sango and Miroku with her mate standing right behind her as she pulled out the complete sacred jewel.

"It's time to finally get rid of this thing." She said and heard Sango moan quietly as she gazed sadly at the jewel, and Kagome understood why. "Kohaku wasn't with Naraku so he must have already taken his shard, but that doesn't mean he's dead. The jewel shard had only been keeping him a slave and suppressing his memory. All you have to do is find him. If he's dead then Naraku killed him just for the sake of it." She explained.

Sango nodded as Miroku put his arm around her shoulders. If Kohaku was dead then she still needed to find his body to give him a proper burial with his family.

"I wish for Priestess Midoriko to be at peace." Kagome said and watched the jewel pulse before seemingly sighing and fading away.

They all stood in silence contemplating what had just happened with the jewel and idly listening to Inuyasha groan.

**~o~o~o~o~**

Time passed as is inevitable and everyone eventually settled into life after Naraku's defeat. After the wish was made Sesshomaru and Kagome left her old pack behind and went home to reunite with their adopted children and begin their mated life.

Through the weeks and months that followed the mated couple began to take notice of the different effects of their bond. The bond had become stronger allowing them to feel each other's emotions more strongly, enabling them to determine how close or far they were to each other, and strengthening their bodies- allowing Sesshomaru to become resistant to any reiki less powerful then his mates, and Kagome to become resistant to all poisons.

Nearly a year passed before they decided they were ready for additional children. Four months after the decision found a shocked and surprised Kagome giving birth to the western heir who surprised his parents by being a full-blood pup in true form. He had moonlight fur the same color as his father, a navy blue crescent moon on his forehead, blue jagged strips on each cheek like his grandfather, and his mother's blue eyes with a golden ring around them.

They had talked about half demon births taking six months in comparison to the nine for humans, but after the birth of their son Sesshomaru felt the need to confirm for Kagome that for full demons it only took four months so she wouldn't think it was unusual. It was later determined that the reason he was a full demon was simply because of their combined power. There had never been a demon lord and a miko mated before let alone ones as powerful as they were.

Their son grew healthy and strong and after a few years, when he was old enough to be left in the care of Rin, Shippo, and a nanny, they began to go out on patrols together. Something they hadn't been able to do since Kagome became pregnant. They traveled nearly every inch of the western lands, but they never went to the village in Edo.

Kagome had been true to her words. She hadn't wanted to be around Sango and Miroku, and especially Inuyasha. Their friendship had taken a turn when they had done nothing when Inuyasha had hit her, and it had officially ended as far as she was concerned when she wished away the jewel.

She knew it was for the best, especially since she would have to watch them grow old and die if they were still friends. She would still have to deal with that heartache with Rin, unless she mated a demon, and any other human friends she made, but she was determined that they would be a better quality of friends.

Despite staying away from her old pack she still knew what was happening with them by way of Keade. She made sure to keep in contact with the older priestess by correspondence since she refused to go to the village with her old pack living there.

Sango and Miroku had gotten married and started their family. After they split ways they had sadly found Kohaku's body at one of the palaces Naraku had taken over. It had apparently been obvious that he had been killed again by the spider half demon. Inuyasha, she learned, had had a hard time adjusting to being human every day and night, but when he finally did his attitude hadn't changed, nor had his behavior.

Keade had informed her that despite these facts Sango and Miroku continued to stick by him. She didn't like what that said about them, but it was their life and their family that would have to deal with him. She just hoped things didn't go badly for them for their misplaced loyalty or whatever was keeping them by his side.

She would continue to write Keade and when she passed away Sesshomaru was sure to have someone watching Inuyasha to see if they either needed to deal with any major problems, since his behavior would still reflect on their family name, or if he managed to change his ways and earn back his demon half.

Kagome supposed time would tell one way or the other.

* * *

><p><span>Author Note<span>: That's it for this story. I think I did okay for my first short story. I've started another short story. The first chapter has already been posted. It's called _Metamorphosis of a Miko_ for those interested.


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